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1 t
• •
Horimrli CoHege IMwcp
BRIGHT LEGACY
One half the income from this Legacy, which wu re-
ceived in 1880 nnder the will of
JONATHAN BROWN BRIGHT
of Walthnm, Manachnsetts, it to be expended for books
for the College Library. The other half of the income
if devoted to leholarihiM in Harvard Univeraity for the
benefit of detcendanu of
HBNRT BRIGHT, JR.,
who died at Watertown. M assachosetta, in 1686. In the
abeence of rach deiceadantt, other penont are eligible
to the acholarshipa. The will requires that this announce-
ment shall be nude in every book added to the Library
under its provisions.
1786. Centenary of Hamden, Connecticut. i886.
HISTORY
OF THE
TOWN OF HAMDEN,
COiNNECTICUT,
WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE
Centennial Celebration,
JUNE 15th, 1886.
PRBPABBD AND PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE TOWN,
UNDER THE EDITORIAL SUPERVISION OF
WILLIAM P./SLAKE,
t
OUAIBMAV OP TUB OXMTSITNIAL BXIOUTITB OOMMITm.
4
O
Printed and Published by
PRICE, LEE & CO., NEW HAVEN.
January, 1888.
^5 \'i8i<f,5.5
ies /vg^7i^
\S\'d CCii^
iUAJP^
Bntered, according to Act of Oongrose, In tho year 1887,
Bt PinCB, LBB A CO.,
In tho Office of the Iiibrari«n of Congress, at Washington.
C0NTBNT8. ill
CONTENTS.
PART I.
CELEBRATION OE THE CENTENARY.
List of Committees vii-viii
Initiatory Proceedings 1-4
CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE-LIST OP INVITED OUEBTS.
Hamden Centennial Celebration. . . . 5-10
COMMEMOIIATIVR EXEUOIBBS-FBOCRSSION-LOAN EXHIBITION-
ORDER OF EXKBCIBBS.
Openino Prayer. 11-12
REV. AUSTIN PUTNAM.
Opening Address 13-20
WILLIAM P. BLAKE-THE ACT OF INCORPORATION.
Centennial Hymn 20
Governor Harrison's Address. . . . 21-22
The Flag of our Union. .... 23-36
BT HON. N. D. SPERRT.
Professor Simeon E. Baldwin's Address. . 36-38
Addresses and Remarks. . . . . 29-46
REV. MR D. MAG MULLEN, PASTOR OF THE METHODIST SOCIE-
TT, HAMDEN PLAINS-REV. FATHER HUGH MALLON-HON. HENBT
TUTTLB-MR. IVES, OF MT. CARMEL-COL. A. H. ROBERTSON. OF
NEW HAVEN.
The Loan Exhibition. 46-48
LIST OF OBJECTS, AND OF EXHIBITORS.
Iv HAMDBN OBNTENABT.
PART II.
HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIYE.
Title, Boundaries and Topography. . . 49-62
PUROHASB OF LAND FBOM TUB INDIANS -ROTAL CHARTER OF
1668-EXTENT AND BOUNDARIES OF THE TOWN-MAPS OF THE
TOWN, AND ITS AREA-ORIGIN OF THE GENERAL FORM OF THE
SURFACE-PICTURESQUE SCENE RT-LEGENDS OF THE BLUB HILLS
-SELECTIONS FROM THE POEM OF THE "SLEEPING GIANT."
Sketch of the Geology 63-70
THE NEW RED SANDSTONE-METAMORPHOSED SANDSTONB-GLA-
OIATION OF THE liEGION-RIVBR DRIFT AND TERRACE FORMA-
TION-DBPOSITS OF SAND AND CLAY-VARIETY OF SOIL-MIN-
BRAL DEPOSITS.
History of Mining in Hamden. . 71-74
J. H. DICEBRMAN-MINING LBASES-NATIYB COPPBB-TALJiMAN'S
MINB.
Forest Trees. . . . . . . . 75-83
J. H. DICEBRMAN-GROWTH ON OLD FIELDS-MARKBT AND VALUE
OF TIMBER-ESTIMATE OF CONSUMPTION-EXHAUSTION OF THE
SOIL BY FORESTS-PROTECTION FROM LIGHTNING-CULTIVATION
OF FOREST TRBBS-LIST OF NATIVE VARIBTIES OF FOREST TREES.
Agrioulttjrb. 83-90
J. H. DICKBRMAN-CORN AND CORN MEAL-HORSES AND CATTLB
—FERTILIZERS— VITICULTURE-TOBACCO CULTURE-PEACH CUL-
TURE-DAIRT-CHBRRY AND MULBERRY TREES.
Public Works. . . . . . . . 91-108
CHESHIRE ROAD-ROAD OR WAY TO THE PLAINS-FARMINGTON
ROAD— HARTFORD AND NEW HAVBN TURNPIKE-CHESHIRE TURN-
PIKE COMPANY-FARMINGTON CANAL COMPANY-NKW HAVEN
AND NORTHAMPTON COMPANY-KEW HAVBN AND NORTHAMPTON
RAILROAD-CONSOLIDATED ROAD TO HARTFORD AND SPRING-
FIELD-NEW HAVBN WATER COMPANY— WHITNEY DAM-THE COV-
BRED RRIDGE-WINTBRGRBEN LAKE WATERWORES-MT. CARMEL
WATER COMPANY-BAST ROCK PARK.
Manufacturing Industry. .... 109-169
INTRODUCTORY NOTICE-IRON WORKS AT SALTONSTALL LAKB-
8ILK-UTILIZATI0N OF MILL RIVER-THE COTTON GIN-WHITNEY
ARMORY-THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE ARMS-WHITNEY UNIFOR-
MITY SYSTEM-WHITNEY ARMS COMPANY-BORING TOOLS, AU-
GERS. GIMLETS. ETC.. W. A. IVES A CO.-CANDBB RUBBER CO.-MT.
CONTENTS.
GARMBL AXLB WORKS; BY JAMBS lYBS— NBW HAYBN WBB CO.—
GARBIAGB IIABDWARB ; WOODRUFF, MILLER A CO.-CARRIAOB
SPRINGS-MT. GARMBL BOLT GO.-GARRIAGE POLE WORKB^ORAN.
NIBS * RUSSELL-PAPER BOX W0RK8-MT. GARMBL SGREW WORKS:
JAMES IVES ft E. S. PIERGE-PRUNING SHEARS-SILK; R. S. CLARK
A GO.-SMALL BELLS ; R. S. CLARK ft GO.-BRICK INDUSTRY-ICB-
HORSE HOB AND PLANTING MACHINE, SHARES-GYPSUM MILL-
SAW MILL AND FLOUR MILL: ANDREWS.
Schools and Education 170-174
SCHOOL DISTRICTS, TEACHERS AND ATTENDANCE-TUB RECTORY
SCHOOL; EVEREST.
Ecclesiastical History 176-199
PARISH OF MOUNT CARMEL-MOUNT CARMEL CHURCH AND SO-
CIETY; HIGGINS—HAMDBN EAST PLAIN SOCIETY; PUTNAM-GRACE
CHURCH, PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL; EVEREST-HAMDEN METRO-
DISM: MAG MULLEN-8T. MARY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH; REV.
FATHER MALLON-NEW LEBANON MISSION.
Military History 200-206
WILLIAM T. SMITH-INDIAN AND FRENCH WARS-SEVENTEENTH
COMPANY MUSTER ROLL-DEFENCE OF NEW HAVEN-WAR OF 1812
—WAR OF THE REBELLION.
Extracts from the Town Records. . . . 207-217
RBCORD OF THE FIRST TOWN MEETING— TAXES, HIGHWAYS, ETC.
-TOWN BURDENS-CONSTITUTIONAL CONVBNTION-PLAINS AND
EAST FARMS HIGHWAY-INOCULATION FOR SMALL-POX-STAMP-
ING LEATHER } SECESSION : ESTRATS-WOODBRIDGB BOUNDARY ;
TOWN-HOUSE -WORK-HOUSE -POOR -GEESE AND GEESE-KIND;
TOWN LINE-HARTFORD TURNPIKE-TOWN POOR-CONSTITUTION
FOR STATE OF CONNECTICUT-PRESIDBNTL/U. ELECTORS-PHY-
SICIAN-CANAL-HORSBB AND CATTLE.
The Poor OF THE Town 218-220
BY G. P. AUGUR-EARLY PROVISION FOR THE POOR-THB TOWN
FARM-THE ATWATER FUND.
Population 221-223
IN 17BC-CHIEF CENTERS OF POPULATION-EXTENSION OF CITY
POPULATION-STATISTICS OF POPULATION.
Societies. 224-226
DAY SPRING LODGE, ftlABONIC ; ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS.
Family History Notices 227-312
ALLING-BASSETT-BENHAM-BLAKE-BRADLEY-BRISTOL-CHAT-
TERTON — DICKERMAN — FORD — GILBERT — GOODYEAR — EATON-
IVES - LEEK - MATHER - MIX -PARDEE - PIERPONT - PUTNAM -
WHITNEY-WHITING.
Taxation — Records 313-316
ELLSWORTH B. COOPER.
vi HAMDEN OBNTENART.
List of Freemen Admitted 317-323
List of Selectmen Elected 323-328
List of Representatives and Senators from
Hamden 328-331
I liliUST RATIONS.
/sTBBL ENQRAYBD PORTRAIT OF BLI WHITNBT-FBONTIBPIBCB.
/ BUILDINaS OP NBW HAVBN WBB COMPANY, TO PACB PAGB 1«.
LI8T OF OOMMITTESa. vii
HAMDEN CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE,
Appointed by the Town October 6th, 1885.
Wm. P. Blake, Ellsworth B. Cooper, L. A. Dickerman,
A. J. Doolittle, Henry Munaon, E. W. Potter,
Rev. Austin Putnam, Henry Tuttle, J. J. Webb.
Seleetmen:
Charles P. Augur, W. W. Woodrujff, Thomas Caivnon.
CENTENNIAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE,
Appointed by the Tovm January 4£/^, 1886.
Wm. P. Blake, Henry Munson, Ellsworth B. Cooper, Henry Tuttle.
SeUdmen:
Charles P. Augur, W. W. Woodruff, Thomas Cannon.
SUB COMMITTEES,
Appointed by the Executive Committee,
ON RBCBPnON.
J. J. Webb, Qeorgo H. Allen, G. S. Benham,
H. W. Munson. C. A. Burleigh, B. A. Mann,
Norris B. Mix.
ON COLLATION.
J. B. Gilbert, William S. Mann, Dana H. Cooper, Edward D. Sanford.
ON BBATB AND TABLB8.
A. J. Doolittle, George A. Bassett, Silas Benham,
H. W. Tuttie, E. B. Wallace.
ON MUSIC.
C. p. Augur, E. B. Cooper.
viii HAMDBN OBNTENART,
ON DBGORATION.
Wm. F. SmiUi, Arthur Woodruff, Chas. H. Chapman, Jared Benham.
ON FLOWEBS.
J. H. Burton, Mrs. 0. P. Augur, Mrs. W. W. Woodruff, Mrs. D. D. Ives.
on loan bxhibition.
manaobrb,
William F. Downbr. Miss Ekha Diokbrman.
BOLICrflNG OOMMTTTEB.
Mrs. Henry Tuttle, Mrs. Samuel Todd, Miss Ella Leek,
Mrs. James Ives, Mrs. J. T. Henry, Mrs. B. A. Mann,
Mrs. Charles Ailing, Mrs. W. E. Davis, Mrs. E. W. Potter,
Mrs. G. S. Benham, Mrs. J. B. Gilbert, Mrs. Hobart Ailing,
Mrs. John E. Andrews, Mrs. G. A: Burleigh, Mrs. W. W. Woodruff,
Nrs. N. B. Mix, Mrs. A. 0. Beach, Mrs. J. J. Webb,
Mrs. J. A. Farnsworth, Miss Sarah Atwater, Mrs. H. W. Munson,
Mrs. Robert Dickerman, Mrs. Silas Benham, Mrs. L. J. Russell.
ON SUNDAY SCHOOL FRO0B8SION.
Eli G. Dickerman, Arthur Woodruff.
CHIEF MARSHAL,
William B. Davis.
AID,
Dennis S. Sanford.
PART !•
CELEBRATION OF THE CENTENARY.
INITIATORY PROCEEDINGS.
|T tlie annual Town Meeting of Hamden, held Oc-
tober 5, 1885, the approaching one hundredth an-
niversary of the incorporation of the town, and
the importance of duly celebrating it, was dis-
cussed and a committee of nine residents of the town Was
appointed to act in connection with the Selectmen in draft-
ing a plan for the appropriate celebration of the event. The
following named persons constituted this committee: Wil-
liam P. Blake, Rev. Austin Putnam, Henry Munson, James
J. Webb, Henry Tuttle, Ellsworth B. Cooper, Edwin W.
Potter, Andrew J. Doolittle, Leverett A. Dickerman, with
the Selectmen : Charles P. Augur, Walter W. Woodruff
and Thomas Cannon.
This committee was instructed to report to an adjourned
town meeting, to be held on the first Monday of January,
1886.
After several meetings and conferences with leading
men of the town, this Centennial Committee agreed upon a
HAMDEN CENTENARY,
plan and reported it to the town meeting as instructed.
The committee proposed : —
1. That the celebration should be upon the third Tuesday
in June, this being the anniversary of the first town meet-
ing under the incorporation.
2. That there should be a procession formed by the
various organizations, citizens and representatives of the
manufacturing establishments in the town.
3. The assembling of the inhabitants of the toAvn, with
invited guests, to listen to historical addresses and to music.
4. A collation for the guests of the town.
5. A loan exhibition of relics and objects historically in-
teresting.
6. The preparation of a history of the town to be pub-
lished in connection with a report of the celebration.
7. That an executive committee of four persons should be
appointed to act with the Selectmen in carrying out the
plan adopted by the town, and with power to appoint sub-
committees.
8. That an appropriation of one thousand dollars, or so
much of it as might be necessary, should be made to cover
the expenses.
This report was unanimously accepted and adopted by the
town, the appropriation was made, and the executive com-
mittee was appointed as follows: William P. Blake, Henry
Munson, Henry Tuttle, Ellsworth B. Cooper, with the Se-
lectmen : Charles P. Augur, Walter W. Woodruff and
Thomas Cannon.
The Executive Committee met frequently at the office of
the Town Clerk and arranged the details of the celebration.
Ellsworth B. Cooper was elected secretary of the com-
mittee. Numerous sub-committees were appointed to
co-operate, and they rendered essential service. A list of
' these committees and the members will be found at the be-
ginning of this volume.
Invitations to attend the celebration were issued to many
of the leading men of New Haven and neighboring towns.
OMLEBkATION EXBROISSB.
LIST OF INVITED GUESTS.
His Excellency H. B. Harrison, Governor of Connecticut.
Hon. Charles R. IngersoU.
County Commissionei-s— Hiram Jacobs, Cecil A. Burleigh, Albert B. Dunham.
State Attorney, Tilton E. Doolittle.
Sheriff, R. O. Gates.
Judge of Probate, Samuel A. York.
Hon. N. D. Sperry.
Donald G. Mitchell.
Hon. Joseph R. Hawley.
Rev. E. E. Atwater.
Eli Whitney, Sr.
Eli Whitney, Jr.
Capt. Charles H. Townshend.
Prof. Franklin B. Dexter, Professor of American History, Yale College.
Simeon E. Baldwin, President N. H. Co. Historical Society.
Thomas R. Trowbridge. Jr., Secretary N. H. Co. Historical Society.
Rev. Dr. Newman Smyth.
Editors— Register, Palladium, Courier, Union. Morning News.
Rev. L. H. Higgins, Rev. J. Brewster, Rev. Hugh Mallon. Rev. John Crowley,
Rev. H. L. Everest, Rev. Austin Putnam, Rev. D. McMullen,
Rev. John Lloyd, Rev. G. Sherwood Dickerman,
Rev. N. Porter, President Yale College.
WOODnRIDGB.
Marcus E. Baldwin, R. C. Newton, S. P. Bradley,
T. R. Baldwhi.
BBTHANT.
Edwm N. Clark, S. R. Woodward, David Carrington, Samuel G. Davidson.
CHESHIRB.
M. C. Doolittle, Bradley Miles, George R. Ives, Alonzo E. Smith.
WALLINGPORD.
O. I. Martin, Henry L. Hall, 2d, Charles D. Doolittle. R. C. Morse.
NORTH HAVEN.
L. P. Tuttle, R. L. Linsley, Willis Hemfaigway, Fred. B. Jacobs.
NEW HAVEN.
Mayor George F. Holcomb, Clerk Philip Hugo, James Reynolds, Ernest
Klcnkc, Julius Tyler, Isaac E. Brown, John L. Treat,
Louis Feldman, W. S. Beecher.
GRANBT.
C. P. Loomis, Wilbur Ruick, Marcus B. Ailing, Charles Coffey.
SOUTHINGTON.
C. D. Pierson, Charles Hitchcock, Solomon Finch, Michael Egan.
HAMDEN OENTENART,
BOZRAH.
James Bishop, Charles A. Johnson, John F. Leffingwell, Gardner Avery.
FIIANKLTK.
Samuel G. Hartshorn, Joseph P. Hyde, James L. Austin, Clifton Peck.
LISIION.
Henry Lyon, Cornelius Murphy, Kussell W. Fitch, J. E. Adams.
MONTVILLB.
Henry A. Baker, Martin V. B. Brainard, 0. Tyler Landphere, Arthur Bothein.
SOUTIIBTniY.
Jacob J. Hinman, Theodore F. Wheeler, Jacob Wentach, David M.
Mitchell, Curtis H. Smith.
OLD SAYBROOK.
Ozias Kirtland.
PRESTON.
Thomas S. Phillips, Frank W. Tracy, William Bennett, Henry Hopkins.
BROOKLYN.
Clarence E. Potter, John S. Scarlcs, William H. Cutler, Ellas H. Maine.
HAMPTON.
W. n. Burnham, Ooorgo M. TTolt, Addison \T. Greonsllt, Horatio Martin.
WARUlflN.
John B. Derrickson, Noble B. Strong, Fred. P. Johnson, Wm. Forrestele, Jr.
ELLINGTON.
Oliver M. Hyde, John Thomson, Elbert F. Hyde, Jolm Beasley.
FORMER RESroBNTS.
R. R. Palmiter, Jonathan P. Spenoer, George A. Stevens, R. R. Wolcott,
C. H. Roso, H. D. Smith, William Wilcox, Dr. Williams and
family, M. Gavagan, W. Sweeney, Patrick Clyne.
FORMER TOWN OFFICIALS.
L. A. Dickerman, H. W. Munson, Edward Davis, E. W. Potter, Bela A.
Mann, N. B. Mix, Andrew McEeon, A. J. Doolittle, Harry Prescott,
Henry Tuttle, Merrit Ford, Edwin B. Payne, Jesse Cooper, Philo
Bradley, Lewis Warner, R. H. Cooper, J. J. Webb, J. H. Dickerman,
Jared Dickerman, Griswold I. Gilbert, Eli B. Smith, Russel 8. Jacobs,
John G. Smith, Lucius Ives, Elihu Dickerman.
OTIIBR FORMER AN1> PRESENT RESIDENTS.
Mr. and Mrs. Orrin Tuttlo, Mi-s. Surali Ailing, Mra. Laura Gilbert, Miss J. A.
Culver, Miss Hattie Hoadley, Mr. James Warner and family, Mr. George
S. Thorpe, Mr. Robert H. Clarke, Mrs. Jane Bradley, Mr. and Mra.
Elias Ford, Hobart Kimbferly, Mr. and Mra. E. Ives Bradley, Mra.
Saritta Ives, Mra. Pamelia Warner, Mra. Emily Ailing, Mra. Nancy
Gorham, Mr. and Mrs. H. Roberts, Mr. Samuel Davis.
SOCIETIES, ETC.
Day Spring Lodge No. 80, F. and A. M. ; Eastern Star Division S. of T., No. 80;
Ancient Order of Hibernians of Hamdcn.
OBLBBRATION BXEROISBa,
HAMDEN CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION,
OOMMEMOBATIYE EXERCISES, JUNE 15, 1886.
jEnS large open lot just north of the Episcopal
Church at Centerville, was selected by the com-
mittee as the best site for the celebration. The
use of the adjoining lot on the comer was secured
for the town by the liberality of Mr. William J. Ives.
Three large tents were provided; one for the audience
with seats for 1,600 persons, and two provided with tables
and seats for the accommodation of the people and guests
at luncheon. A portion of the grounds was reserved for
vehicles. The entrance from the main street was marked
by a large triumphal arch decorated with ilags.
The procession formed shortly after ten o'clock under
the direction of the chief marshal, Mr. William E. Davis.
It was headed by the Centerville Brass Band, which was
in attendance, and rendered the instrumental music for the
day. A line of carriages followed, bearing the Governor of
the State and his Secretary, members of the reception
and other committees, and prominent residents of the
town. The Ancient Order of Hibernians from Mount
Carmel joined in the procession, and delegations from some
of the larger manufacturing establishments with their
freight wagons. These wagons were gaily decorated and
bore open cases of goods as usually packed for shipping,
thus making an open air moving display of the chief man-
ufactures of Hamden. Amongst these exhibitions the open
cases of firearms from the Whitney Arms Company, sur-
mounted by the original model of Whitney's cotton gin,
attracted great attention. The display made by W. A.
tiAMDEN OEtrtEiTARlt.
Ives & Co. of augers, bits, etc., and by R. B. Bradley &
Co. of agricnltural implements, and machines were espe-
cially interesting. The ice wagons and milk wagons were
out in force and were brilliantly decorated.
The exercises in the tent commenced shortly after the
arrival of the procession and proceeded according to the
programme annexed. After singing the doxology, at the
request of the chairman of the day, the Rev. Austin Put-
nam, of the Hamden East Plain Society, made the opening
prayer, the audience joining in repeating the Lord' sprayer
at the end.
The vocal music for the occasion was furnished by a
chorus of about one hundred and fifty trained voices, ac-
companied by an orchestra of four pieces and directed by
Mr. Elliot E. Ives, of Mt. Carmel, with Mr. 0. P. Augur,
of Whitneyville, as organist, and was a very interesting
part of the celebration.
The loan exhibition was kept open during the day and
was crowded with objects of interest and with visitors.
At luncheon about two hundred guests were seated at
tables profusely decorated with flowers, and were gracefully
served by about twenty young ladies, daughters of resi-
dents of the town.
After luncheon about 800 members of the several Sunday
Schools of the town formed in procession, and, headed by
the marshals, marched around the grounds singing Sunday
School songs, after which they were seated in the tent and
joined in the exercises of the afternoon.
Further details are given in the annexed extracts from
the account of the celebration given in the New Haven
Register.
" There was a great celebration out in the good old town
of Hamden to-day. Its residents all the way from Whitney-
ville to Cheshire, and from Hamden Plains to Mount Car-
mel, were out enrobed in their gayest garbs and loaded
with patriotism. It was the occasion of the celebration of
the centennial of the establishment of town government in
OELEBRA.TION EXSBOISBa.
Hamden, and great preparations had been made to ade-
quately recognize the birthday of home rule in that vicin-
ity. Hamden folks never do things by halves. Centennial
day was made a holiday throughout the district, and about
all of its inhabitants assembled on the big lot near the
Centerville Hotel and celebrated the great occasion. A
number of tents erected on the grounds made the town
look as though it was visited by a circus. All the stores
were closed up and many of the houses were prettily deco-
rated with flags and bunting.
It was not much of a day for centennials. The weather
did not seem to smile in unison with Hamden' s joy. A
drizzling rain at the outset did not dampen enthusiasm, but
it took the crimps out of the young ladies' hair and dis-
couraged the merrymakers.
The procession started oflE just before 11 o'clock. About
one hundred and fifty men and three hundred American
flags of all sizes, shape and make participated in it. The
Centerville Band, fifteen pieces, headed the line, blowing
a gay triumphal march. Then came the Ancient Order of
Hibernians, fifty strong, with Patrick Maher at their head
and wearing their gay regalia. Then came Governor Har-
rison, Private Secretary Osborne and Hon. N. D. Sperry, in
an open barouche. The Selectmen of the town of New
Haven were the next in line. They rode in a three-seated
wagon and were all there. A score of milk and ice wagons
all bedecked in fiags and bunting, and laden with jJrettily-
dressed young ladies with faces as pretty as their dresses,
and smiles as plentiful as the flags on the wagons. The
line moved gaily through some of the roadways, and the
whole town of Hamden turned out to applaud it. It wended
its way around in the mud for a while, and then wound up
under the big tent, where the exercises of the day were at
once commenced.
There were a number of notables on the platform. Be-
sides the Governor and those already mentioned were Pro-
fessor W. P. Blake, who was the chainnan of the day, Eli
HAMDBN OENTBNART.
Whitney, Sr., and Eli Whitney, Jr., Rev. Hugh Mallon,
pastor of the Catholic Church in Wallingford, Hon. A.
Heaton Robertson, Simeon E. Baldwin, Attorney J. J.
Webb, the members of the committee on the celebration,
and several others. Down in front of the platform were
ranged on tiers of seats the young and pretty maidens of
Hamden and adjacent towns, who were on hand to do the
singing, well ranged. They all wore their Sunday garments
and they all had cheeks as red as roses and eyes as bright
as the sunlight that was expected to paint the town in gold
this morning and didn't. The singing of theDoxology
" Praise God from whom all blessings flow," and then Rev.
Austin Putnam, pastor of the Whitneyville Congregational
Church for forty-five years, made the opening prayer, ap-
propriately and briefly. The address of welcome by Prof.
Blake was terse and interesting. The Centennial hymn,
composed by Deacon J. M. Payne, was then voiced by
the pretty girls.
Governor Harrison was then introduced. He was re-
ceived with much applause, and said that he was deeply
and truly thankful that he was able to be present at the
celebration. When he was invited, however, the commit-
tee did not stipulate that he was to make a formal speech,
and he didn't propose to do it. He, however, made a very
eloquent address, in which he dwelt on the great advan-
tage of town government and said that any town in Con-
necticut was a little republic in itself with prerogatives that
nothing could take from it. He complimented the Ham-
den people on their beautiful town and referred to its
splendid record.
When the Governor had finished. Prof. Blake said that
by a curious coincidence yesterday was the anniversary of
the adoption of the American fiag, and he would introduce
Hon. N. D. Sperry to give a brief history of it. The Ham-
den people were made all the happier when Mr. Sperry
appeared on the platform. He nuidealong speech. He
liberally interspersed history with poetry, and his whole
OELEBRATION EXER0I8E8.
address was filled with a patriotic fire that seemed to
spread among the audience, and when Mr. Sperry got
through they all felt prouder of their country than ever.
Among other things, Mr. Sperry said that he could appre-
ciate the truth of what Professor Blake had said about the
educational facilities of Hamden. He knew it was true
because he taught school in the town himself when he was
seventeen years of age. Professor Simeon E. Baldwin made
a very happy address. He said that the Hamden people
were fortunate in having so many men from New Haven on
the platform.
ORDER OP EXERCISES.
MORNING.
The procession formed at ten o'clock, and proceeded to the large tent on the
Goodyear lot.
DOXOLOGY.
** Praise God from whom all blessings flow."
Pbayeb.
Rev. Austin Putnam.
Address of Welcome.
William P. Blake.
Centennial Hymn.
Composed for the occasion by J. M. Payne.
Address.
Gk)veruor Harrison.
Address on the History of the American Flag.
Hon. N. D. Sperry.
Music.
" Star Spangled Banner."
%
to HAMDEN CENTENARY.
Address.
Prof. Simeon E. Baldwin.
Musio.
' Let tlio Hills and Vales resound."
INTERMISSION FOR LUNCHEON.
AFTERNOON.
Procession of Sunday Scliool Scholars and Teachers to the tent at 2:30.
Musio.
" Hail Columbia."
Addresses.
Rev. D. McMuUen. Rev. L. H. Higgins. Rev. Father Hugh Mallon.
Musio.
'* To the work I To the work I"
Addresses.
Henry Tuttle. James J. Webb.
Musio.
** On Jordan's rugged banks I stand." '
Remarks.
Lucius Ives. Julius Ives. Elihu Dickerman. Hon. A. Ileaton Robertson.
Musio.
'• Auld Lang Syne." " Yankee Doodle."
Finale.
"My country 'tis of thee."
CJULEBUA TtON EXEBCiaStS, U
OPENING PRAYER.
BY BEV. AUSTIN PUTNAM.
IJLMIGHTY GOD, our God and the God of our
Fathers, we come before Thee in tjiankful and
joyful acknowledgment of Thy great goodness to
us and to those who have gone before us in this
place ; to all who have lived in this town from the begin-
ning of its history until now. We give Thee most humble
and hearty thanks for the good laws which Thou hast given
us, and for this pleasant spot where our lot is oast. We
thank Thee that the lines are fallen to us in such pleasant
places, and that we have so good a heritage. We thank
Thee that in Thy good providence we see this day, and we
humbly and earnestly implore Thy gracious presence to be
with us, and Thy blessing to be upon us, on this interesting
and joyful occasion. Be with us in all the exercises and
services before us. May all that we shall say and all that
we shall do here at this time and on this occasion be agree-
able to Thy holy will, for the glory of Thy name, and for
our own temporal, spiritual and everlasting good. We be-
seech Thee to bless all who are or shall be here this day ;
also all others who are or have been residents of this town
and who are still living on the earth. With Thy gracious
help may we all follow Him who is the way, the truth, and
the life; so may we fulfill our mission, finish the work
which Thou hast given us to do in the world, and finally,
by Thy mercy, attain everlasting life through Jesus Christ
our Lord. We most heartily beseech Thee with thy favor
to behold and bless thy servant the Governor of Connecti-
cut, and all others in authority in this State, and all the
people of this Commonwealth ; also thy servant, the Presi-
dent of the United States, and all others in authority in
12 HAMDEN OENTENART,
this land, and all classes and conditions of men in our be-
loved country. And we humbly ask for those who shall
come after us in this town the same blessings that we have
asked for ourselves. In their possession, and under their
care and culture, may this bright spot grow brighter and
brighter till time shall be no more. We ask and offer all in
the name and for the sake of Him who loved us and gave
himself for us, and who has taught us to pray, saying :
Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth a-s it is in
Heaven ; give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us
our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
for thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, for-
ever and ever — ^Amen.
OELEIBBATtOK SXBROISm. 18
OPENING ADDRESS.
BY WILLIAM P. BLAKE.
SLLOW Townspeople, Prienbs and Neighbors:
We have assembled to-day to perform a pleas-
ing duty to the past ; to signalize the completion
of one hundred years of town government and
development; to tal^ee note of what has been accomplished
by those who have gone. before us, and to draw from
a century of experience, wisdom and inspiration for the
future. Nearly two centuries and a haK have passed
since the settlement of this region began. The history
of New Haven Colony for nearly one hundred and
fifty years after the purchase of Quinnipiac from the
Indians is in part our history. New Haven Colony
then included a large area of country, afterwards di-
vided up into separate towns. At the end of the long
struggle for the independence of the country, the segre-
gation and organization of towns from New Haven pro-
ceeded with rapidity. In the month of December, 1781,
at a town meeting of New Haven, a committee was
appointed to report a plan for the division of the town
into several distinct townships; Woodbridge, East Haven
and North Haven were organized in succession. The char-
ter of the City of New Haven was granted in 1784, and our
Town of Hamden was set off and incorporated in 1786.
I will now read to you from the first page of our first
volume of Records the act of Incorporation.
Tub Act op Incorporation op tub Town op Hahdbn.
At a General Assembly of the State of Connecticut,
holden at Hartford on the second Thursday of May, A. D.
1786 : — Upon the Memorial of the inhabitants of the Parish
14 BAMDBN CENTSNART
of Mount Oannel, in the Town of New Haven, and the in-
habitants of said New Haven living within the limits of the
17th Military Company in the Second Regiment of Militia
in this State, praying that they may be constituted a dis-
tinct and separate town by themselves as per Memorial.
ResoUed hy this Assembly: That the said inhabitants
living within the limits aforesaid be, and they are hereby
constituted a town by the name of the town of Hamden,
and the bounds of said town of Hamden shall be the same
as the bounds of the said Parish of Mount Carmel and the
bounds of said Military Company, the bounds of which
Military Company are as follows :
Beginning at the foot of the long bridge, so called, from
thence a straight line to a dwelling house owned by Mr.
Hezekiah Sabin, now in possession of George Peckham,
thence on the north side oi said house a straight line to the
south-east comer of the farm lately owned by Capt. John
Hubbard, deceased, thence in the line of said farm to the
top of the West Rock, thence on said Rock northerly to
the South-east comer of Woodbridge, thence in the line of
said Woodbridge to the South-west comer of Mount Car-
mel Society, thence in the South line of said Society to
North Haven line, thence upon said line to the East River,
thence along the middle of said River to the first mentioned
corner.
And said town of Hamden shall be entitled [to] and have
and enjoy all the rights, privileges and immunities that the
other towns in this State have and enjoy. And shall have
liberty to elect and appoint all officers necessary and proper
for a town ; to lay taxes and collect them as towns in this
State are allowed to do, and transact all matters necessary
and proper for a town ; and the said town of Hamden shall
be entitled to receive of the town of New Haven their part
and proportion of all the town stock of said New Haven,
and said town of Hamden shall pay their part and propor-
tion of all the debts of said town of New Haven, already
incurred, in proportion to their List in the List of the town
of New Haven, and shall take upon them the charge and
support of their part of the town poor of said town of
New Haven in proportion as aforesaid, and the taxes of said
town of New Haven already laid shall and may be col-
lected for the payment of the debts and expenses of said
OBLBBBATION EXBBCIBBa, 16
town of New Haven already incurred, and the same being
paid and discharged said town of Haniden shall be entitled
to their part and proportion of the overplus (if any be), to
be ascertJEiined as aforesaid.
And the said town of Hamden shall bear their, part and
proportion of supporting Bridges and Highways within the
bounds of the towns of New Haven and Hamden in such,
part and proportion as shall be judged just and reasonable
by General Andrew Ward, Colonel Edward Russell and
Gideon Buckingham, Esq., who are appointed a committee
for that purpose, all the circumstances of said town being
duly considered ; and said committee shall also apart and
set oflf to said town of Hamden their part and proportion
of the poor of said town of New Haven, and town stock
and debts in proportion to their List as aforesaid.
And said town of Hamden shall hold their first meeting
at the meeting house in said Hamden on the third Tuesday
of June next, at one o'clock in the afternoon, when they
may choose such town officers as by law are required, who
shall remain in office until another meeting shall be held in
and for said town in the month of December next, and said
meeting shall have power and authority to transact all mat-
ters necessaiy for a town, and to adjourn to a future period
if necessary, said inhabitants, legal voters, being warned
five days before said meeting by a written notification
thereof being signed and set up by Simeon Bristol, Esq.,
on the Sign Post and the house oi Hiel Peck, within said
town of Hamden, and the said Simeon Bristol shaU preside
at said meeting as Moderator.
Provided^ nothing in this act shall be construed to hinder
the inhabitants of the said town of Hamden from catching
Pish, Oysters, Clams and Shells within the bounds of said
New Haven under the same restrictions and regulations
that the inhabitants of said New Haven shall be, or that
shall hinder the inhabitants of said New Haven from net-
ting stone from the East and West Rocks as usual. Aiso,
provided, that the said Town of Hamden be restricted to
the choice of one Representative to represent them in the
General Assembly of this State.
A true copy of record, examined by George WyUys,
Secretary.
The above and foregoing is a true copy of the original.
Attest '
SIMEON BRISTOL, Qlerk.
16 HAMDEN OBNTBNART.
At the first meeting of the inhabitants of the town, on
the third Monday of June, 1786, in accordance with the
requirement of the Act, it was voted that Simeon Bristol,
Esq., be town clerk for the remainder of the year, and that
Messrs. John Hubbard, Asa Goodyear, Samuel Dickennan,
Moses Gilbert, Simeon Bristol, Esq., be the selectmen.
There is no complete list of the names of the residents of
the town at that time, but in the lists of persons chosen as
selectmen, as surveyors of highways, and other officers of
the new town, we find many family names familiar to us as
the family names of prominent residents of the town to-
day, most of these residents occupying the ancestral homes
and tilling the same fields redeemed by their forefathers
from the wilderness and the savage two centuries or more
ago. These names are English names, identified with some
of the great events of English history, and especially with
the great struggle for the rights of the people in opposition
to the encroachments of the crown ; such names as Ailing,
Atwater, Bassett, Bristol, Bradley, Cooper, Ford, Good-
year, Gilbert, Hitchcock, Ives, Mansfield, Mix, Munson,
Todd and Tattle. We have no doubt that our town was
named in honor of John Hampden, the English patriot and
lover of liberty. By whom the name was proposed we
have yet to learn. Nearly a century and a half had then
passed since Hampden fell on the field, but his name was
in close and dear remembrance by the people. Prevented,
together with Cromwell and others, from coming to this
country, he remained to fight for freedom. Hampden's
efforts and sacrifices were more vividly realized here than
ever before when our forefathers had just passed through
their great struggle for independence, and it is not strange
that his name should have been chosen for the new town,
then occupied chiefly by descendants of patriots of his
time.
The name of Hamden, which had .'tlready been given to
one of the first of our naval vessels early in 1776, is an
inspiring name which should continually incit/e us to emu-
OBLBBRATION BXBR0I8B8. 17
late the lofty virtues of the leader of the Long Parliament.
Few names have been so honored in history. Macaulay
writes that Hampden ^^ is an almost solitary instance of a
great man who neither sought nor shunned greatness, who
found glory only because glory lay in the plain path of
duty." Baxter, in his Saints' Rest, printed before the
Restoration, declared that one of the pleasures which he
hoped to enjoy in Heaven was the society of Hampden.
Hume says: ** John Hampden acquired by his spirit and
courage universal popularity throughout the nation, and
has merited great renown with posterity for the bold stand
which he made in defence of the laws and liberties of his
country.'^
Our peculiar orthography of the name requires a passing
notice. It has been generally written here without the
silent p, while Hampden is the prevailing English orthog-
raphy. Yet we find that Hume, in his history, writes the
name Hambden. President Stiles, of Yale College, so late
as the year 1791, ref emng in his diary to this town, writes
the name Hampden.
But it is not my purpose to weary you with historical
details. Provision has been made, as you know, for the
preparation of a history of the town in recognition of its
centenary, and as the enduring, substantial part of this
celebration. The Committee appointed by the town to
devise a plan for the appropriate celebration of the incor-
poration of Hamden, as a town, was highly gratified by the
reception and adoption of the report recommending that
the celebration should be essentially historic in its nature,
and that a volume should be prepared and published as a
monument of the century which has passed away. Our
meeting to-day may, therefore, be regarded as a prelude to a
more enduring and lasting tribute to the events of the
century. The occasion invites and permits of some self com-
mendation and congratulations. We have a right to be
proud of our town and of the achievements of its people dur-
ing the century, and it is our pleasant duty to refer to them.
8
18 HAMDEN OBNTBNART,
We have great cause for gratitude that our "lines have
fallen in such a pleasant" and a "large place." There is
not another town in the United States comparable with
Hamden in the beauty and centrality of its location. We
live in a lovely valley, from which the ancient Connecticut
has been turned aside ; a valley lying part way between
New York and Boston, two of the chief centers of thought
in America, flanked on either side by ranges of forest-
covered hills terminating in the picturesque bluif s of East
Rock and West Rock, opening to the sea on the south,
with the Blue Hills of Mt. Carmel on the north, and a
city of seventy thousand inhabitants at its feet, and the
great city of New York but two and a half hours' distant.
Telegraphic wires, the nerves of communities, hang thickly
along our highways, and indicate the mental energy by
which we are surrounded.
We have enjoyed great educational advantages and ijiflu-
ences. The bell of one of the oldest leading universities of
the country rings within hearing of our homes. From
our lovely hills we look with pride and pleasure upon the
spires of New Haven churches, and the domes of its temples
of art and science. We can also see the blue waters of
Long Island Sound dotted with white sails, and destined
to become the great marine avenue between the old world
and the new. As an industrial and manufacturing town,
Hamden must ever occupy the foremost place in the history
of the development of the industrial arts in America and
in the world. It was within our limits, at the close of the
last century, that Eli Whitney, resting from his labors in
perfecting the cotton gin (the model of wliicli is now in our
Loan Exhibition), established the manufacture of fire arms
by new and before unheard of machines and methods,
which have revolutionized manufacturing industry the
! world over, and which hastened the era of accurate, rapid
and cheap production of manufactured articles. The "Uni-
formity System" in manufacturing was inaugurated here
in Hamden, and has spread from hence through all the
GELSBRAftON HxHrCTSM 1ft
nations enlightened by science. Hamden may also claim
to be the birth-place of many important manufactures,
notably that of small hardware, of carriage springs and
fittings, and of harness trimmings.
Manufacturing enterprises were developed in the north-
em poiiiion half a century ago by Elam Ives, who served
in the war of indei)endence, and in 1812 when communica-
tion with Boston by water was cut oflf by the blockade,
established a freight line of ox teams and wagons between
New York and Boston. This leads us to advert to the great
contrast presented between the means of communication
of a century ago, and those which we now enjoy. The
century has witnessed in our town the transition from the
saddle to the stage coach, from the sbige coach to the canal
boat, and from the canal boat to the railway.
We may also show a laudable pride in the record of our
people in all their social and political relations. The people
of Hamden have ever been true to the great principles of
liberty for which our fathers struggled, and they have not
abused the inheritance they have enjoyed. Hamden
has always responded promptly and freely to the calls to
arms for the defence of the country. Not only in the war
of the Revolution, but in 1812, in the Mexican war and in
the war of the Rebellion, the town sent forth its full quota
of intelligent freemen for the support of the flag. The spirit
of peaceful industry, rather than the spirit of war is, how-
ever, characteristic of the people of Hamden. It is a town
of industrious and thrifty people, with pleasant and well
ordered homes, and law respecting families. Our hills and
valleys are dotted over with comfortable and elegant habi-
tations and the spires of our churches, pointing heavenward,
show that we have kept the faith of our fathers, and that
the people are not unmindful of the fact that we have '* no
abiding city here."
While thus looking back upon the record of the town let
us be duly thankful for the blessings and privileges we
enjoy, and show that we are duly sensible of the privations
HAMDEN OBNTBNART.
and efforts of the generations that have preceded us. We
are also proud of the record of our neighbors of New Haven,
and we congratulate them upon their achievements and
prosperity. We are thankful that we have some of them,
and other valued neighbors and friends, here with us to-
day on this happy occasion, and to them all, in the name of
the town, a most cordial and hearty welcome is extended.
CENTENNIAL HYMN.
Written for the occasion by Deacon J. M. Patnb, of Hamden.
Tune — America.
Let every heart rejoice
With instrument and voice.
On this glad day.
Tribute of praise we bring
To God our sovereign king;
With thy protecting wing
Defend we pray.
One hundred years have fled,
And numbered with the dead
The true and brave.
Yet, for our common weal.
We'll emulate their zeal.
And to our God appeal.
Our country save.
May Hamden ever be
Worthy of Liberty
Our fathers won;
Let coming history teU
Our parts we acted well;
And may our sons excel
What we have done.
OELBBBATION EXSB0I8B8. ^i
GOVERNOR HARRISON'S ADDRESS.
jCCEPT my hearty thanks, fellow citizens of Ham-
den, that your kindness has given me an oppor-
tunity of being present with you on this interest-
ing occasion.
My thanks are particularly due to your committee for
the special kindness in relieving me from any obligation to
give a formal discourse. At their suggestion, however, I
will say a word or two, although I am here as an observer
and a listener ; an interested observer and an enthusiastic
listener, rather than as a speaker.
You celebrate to-day the one hundredth anniversary of
the organization of your town. I wonder how many per-
sons there are present here who appreciate the full signifi-
cance of that fact — ^the organization of a Connecticut town.
Are all of you aware, do all of you fully understand what
a peculiar organization is the organization of a town in the
State of Connecticut ? Do you all fully understand that by
the act of the General Assembly, which made you a town,
you were made in your municipal capacity a little inde-
structible republic, having great powers of local govern-
ment which can never be taken away from you ; and that
you are thus entered into the family of towns, that family
of little republics, now 167 in number, who by their in-
destructible union constitute the State of Connecticut ?
The principle of town government is widely extended in
this country, especially in New England, especially in Ver-
mont, the child of Connecticut, especially in Massachusetts
and in some other parts of the country, but after some little
reading of the history, some little examination, I believe I
am safe in saying that there is no state and no country in
this world where the principle of Home Rule, or the prin-
ciple of the government by the people, is so radically carried
ttAMDJBlN Ot!NttllfAttr.
out and so thoroughly protected by the Constitutional de-
f encea as it is in this town of Hamden, and in every other
town in the State of Connecticut.
You do not hold your rights, your most important ones,
at the pleasure of the General Assembly, at the pleasure of
the State Government, or of any other power on earth.
Your right to representation in the General Assembly
cannot be taken away from you by any power. Your right
to your town meeting cannot be taken from you. Your
right to elect your own selectmen, your town clerk, your
grand jurors, your officers, your constable, your justice of
the peace ; these rights are yours so long as the Constitu-
tion of the State remains as it is. The existence of this
town cannot be destroyed. The General Assembly cannot
abolish the town of Hamden, or annex it to any other town.
I will not weary you any more with this line of thought,
but it is a line of thought that will be well worthy of your
future consideration when it occurs to you to take a little
time to find out what sort of a thing a Connecticut town is.
The fact that you assemble here in such numbers, not-
withstanding the early promise of the day, is, I think, a
fact of great significance. It shows that you are not
ashamed of this town of Hamden. It shows that you feel
that you have good reason to be proud of it, and that you
are in fact proud of it, and that is a good and jisef ul feel-
ing for the people to have in a town.
Self -respect is essential to a man; it is for him a great
safeguard to prevent him from doing anything that would
be unworthy of a man of honor and integrity. And so
town pride, an eflfectionate respect for the history of your
town, is, and will be as long as you retain it, a safeguard to
prevent you doing anything or consenting to anything un-
worthy of a little republic, such as this town of yours is
i and ought to be, and you should always be jealous of its
1 fair fame and honor.
This celebration is a good thing, not merely because it
shows that you have the right feeling of town pride, but it
CBLEBBATION BXJSB0I8BB. 28
will be a good thing in increasing, strengthening, intensify-
ing that town pride ; and I believe, without the shadow of
a doubt, that every good citizen here will be, at sunset, a
better citizen of the town of Hamden than he was at sun-:
rise this morning, and that he wUl remain so.
Now, I liave only to add the expression of my hope that
everything will go off pleasantly, and my congratulations
for the late but evidently opening promise of a beautiful
day for your celebration.
THE FLAG OF OUR UNION.
HON. N. D. 8PERRY.
|R. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : I notice
in the historical address Just read tliat among
the early settlers of this town was Captain
John Gilbert. I want to say a single word about
him. When New Haven was invaded by the British
during our Revolutionary war, Capt. John Gilbert com-
manded a body of men living within the limits of this
town. Hearing of the invasion, Capt. Gilbert marched his
men to New Haven to assist in repelling the invaders. He
and his men did valiant service, and their heroic acts and
deeds are treasured with gratitude by the people of New
Haven to-day.
At last both he and his command were captured by the
enemy. Capt. Gilbert asked that they be treated as pris-
oners of war; but the British officer refused their request,
and would give them no quarter. Knowing that they
were to be sliot, Capt. Gilbert ordered his men to iire, and
the British officer fell dead as the penalty for his refusal ;
and in turn Capt. Gilbert and his men were killed at once.
Capt. John Gilbert's descendants are living to-day, not
24 HAMDBN OBNTBNART,
only in this town, but in New Haven, and the spirit of
patriotism, love of liberty and devotion to country have
always characterized their action,
I further noticed that your president mentioned that your
town had excellent educational advantages. I do not fully
know how it is to-day, but I have no doubt your historian
is correct in his statement. Years ago I know this town
had excellent educational advantages, for at the age of
seventeen I taught school in this town myself. I trust you
will not consider me facetious in this remark, but should
you consider it otherwise it is not my fault.
But I must hasten to my theme, **The History of the
American Flag and Its Achievements."
It was on the 14th day of June, 1777, 109 years ago, that
Congress passed resolutions which provided a national
flag, and describing the same fully. Prior to this time we
had many banners of various forms, colors and devices.
The colors of our Connecticut standard, established July
1st, 1775, according to the American archives, were blue
and orange, and inscribed upon them the motto : " Qui
transtvZit sustineV^ in letters of gold, which we construe
thus : ** God who transplanted us hither will support us."
The flag unfurled by General Putnam July 18, 1775, is
thus described in a letter dated at Cambridge July 21,
1775: "Last Tuesday morning," says the letter, "July
18, according to the orders of the day before by Major
General Putnam, all the Continental troops under his im-
mediate command assembled at Prospect Hill, where the
declaration of the Continental Congress was read, after
which an animated and patriotic address to the anny was
made by the Rev. Mr. Leonard, chaplain of General Put-
nam's regiment, and succeeded by a prayer. When Gen-
eral Putnam gave the signal the whole army shouted their
loud amen by three cheers, immediately upon which a can-
non was fired from the fort, and the standard lately sent
to General Putnam was exhibited flourishing in the air,
bearing this motto: 'An Appeal to Heaven,' and on the
CELEBRATION BXER0iaE8. 3B
other side ^Qui transtulit sustineV " The letter states
that the whole affair was conducted with the utmost de-
cency, good order and regularity, and met with the univer-
sal acceptance of all present. Of this flag, bearing the
motto of Connecticut and the motto, '*An Appeal to
Heaven," says General Schuyler Hamilton, in his book
(The History of the National Flag of the United States of
America), " the latter motto was evidently taken from the
closing paragraph of the address of the Provincial Con-
gress of Massachusetts written shortly after the battle of
Lexington which ended thus, * appealing to heaven for the
justice of our cause we determined to die or be free,' and
which motto, under the form * Appealed to Heaven,' com-
bined with a pine tree, constituted the motto and device on
the colors of the Massachusetts Colonial Army." "In this
combination," says General Schuyler Hamilton, of the
mottos of Connecticut and Massachusetts, one can scarcely
fail to perceive the germ of the emblem of Union which
January 2, 1770, replaced the flag we have described
above."
General Schuyler Hamilton says that the flag raised by
General Putnam was a red flag. Eed flags had been used
in early times by other nations as emblems of defiance, and
for this reason, red was used instead of other colors at the
commencement of our Revolutionary struggle.
A letter written January, 1776, dated at Boston, can be
found in volume IV of the American archives, which says in
corroboration of the above, "lean seethe rebel flag very
plain whose color a little while ago was red, but on the re-
ceipt of the King's speech (which was burnt), they hoisted
the Union flag, which is here supposed to intimate the
union of the provinces."
In Holmes's Annuals, volume II, it is recorded **that
the committee of safety in South Carolina adopted a
large blue flag, with a crescent in one corner, blue being
the uniform of the South Carolina troops, hence the color
of their banner." Another flag was used as mentioned in
4
26 HAMDBN CENTENARY,
the American archives, which had a white ground and a
tree in the center, with the motto, ** Appeal to Heaven."
The same authority says, 'Hhe flag called the great Union
flag, hoisted January 2, 1776, the day that gave being to
the new army, was the basis of our national flag of the
present day."
Again, the flag presented by a member of the Naval
Committee of the Continental Congress to South Carolina,
February, 1776, to be used by the Commander-in-chief of
the American Navy, was a yellow flag, in the center of
which was a lively representation of a rattlesnake in the
attitude of striking, and underneath the words, "Don't
tread on me." So you will see that we had abundant flags
in early times, and that, in fact, flags have their uses in
peace as well as war, and cannot be dispensed with. Their
necessity caused a multiplicity of them, and thus prepared
the way to the one adopted by Congress June 14, 1777,
which was as follows: ''That the flag of the thirteen United
States be thirteen stripes alternate red and white ; that the
Union be thirteen white stars on blue fleld, representing a
new constellation."
While this resolve passed Congress June 14, 1777, it was
not made public until the third of September following its
adoption. According to William Barton, A. M., the thir-
teen stripes on the flag represent the original States ; the
same number of stars upon the blue field placed in a
circle represent a new constellation, which alludes to the
new empire formed in the world by a union of states. Their
position in form of a circle denotes the perpetuity of its
continuance, the ring being the symbol of eternity; and tlie
eagle placed upon the summit of the staff is emblematical
of the sovereignty of the government of the United States.
The first change made in the fiag of the United States,
after its adoption by Congress, was made January 18, 1794,
and was as follows: " Tliat from and after the first day of
May, 1796, tlie flag of the United States be fifteen stripes,
alternate red and white ; that the union be fifteen stars,
OELEBBATION WXER0ISE8, 37
white in blue field." And under this flag we fought the
battles of our country in the war of 1812.
In 1818 the flag of the United States was again changed,
as it was anticipated that the flag would become too large
and unwieldy if a stripe was added on the admission of
every new State. The resolutions passed by Congress mak-
ing this change were as follows: '^That from and after
the fourth of July next the flag of the United States be
thu'teen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white ; that
the Union be twenty stars, in blue fleld ; and that on the
admission of a new State into the Union one star be added
to the Union of the ilag, and that such addition shall take
effect on the fourth day of July next succeeding such ad-
mission.
The blue fleld originated in this way. Blue was the fav-
orite color with the Colonies. It was the uniform of the
South Carolina troops. Washington adopted blue as his
badge. Blue had been identifled with the league and coven-
ant in Scotland; and in many other ways blue became iden-
tified in our Colonial struggles. And on this account, says
General Hamilton, blue became the color of our national
uniform as well.
It is recorded that our banner was first used by Paul
Jones, Commander-in-chief of the Navy. Other authori-
ties say: ** The first instance in which the Stars and Stripes
were unfurled was when the brig Nancy was chartered by
the Continental Congress to procure military stores in the
West Indies, during the latter part of 1776. While at
Porto Rico in July of the ensuing year, the information
came that the Colonists had declared their independence,
and with this information came the description of the flag
that had been accepted as the national banner. A young
man. Captain Thomas Manderville, set to work to make
one, and successfully accomplished it. The flag was un-
furled and saluted with thirteen guns. When the brig
Nancy was upon her return voyage, she was hemmed in
by British vessels oflf Cape May, her officers succeeded in
HAMDEUr CBNTBNABY,
removing all the munitions to the shore, and when the last
boat put oflf, a young man in it, John Hancock, jumped
into the sea, swam to the vessel, ran up the shrouds of the
naastf and securing the flag, brought it triumphantly to the
shore, amid the hot fire from a British man-of-war."
The first American flag that was made, after the design
and approval of Congress, was the one made by Elizabeth
Ross, of Philadelphia. But a short time ago three of her
children were living, and they bore testimony to this fact.
And a lady in Gennantown, now ninety-six years of age,
adds her testimony in confirmation. Tlie same authority
says, "that not only was the first flag made in Philadel-
phia, but it was flrst flung to the breeze there." The house
in which the flag was first made is still standing. No. 239
Arch street. It is said that when the design was fixed by
Cpngress that General Washington and Col. George Ross
visited Mrs. Ross and asked her to make it after the ap-
proval and desigil fixed upon. She immediately informed
General Washington that the design was wrong ; that the
stars were six-pointed instead of five, as they should be.
Washington at once saw the mistake, and told Mrs. Ross
to make the correction. The flag was duly made, and Con-
gress approved the same, and for several years all the
American flags made for government use were made by
Mrs. Ross.
I have thus given a brief and imperfect sketch of our na-
tional banner, the banner we all love and rejoice in to-day.
It is our country's banner, and why should we not love it ?
Our fathers sustained it and it gave them victory after long
years of privation and danger. It is beautiful to look upon,
and it grows more beautiful and bright with years. If our
enemies despise it, we love it all the better; if defeated un-
der it, it is all the dearer to us because of defeat ; and we
would change it for no other ; for
" It is the flag that o'er land and o'er sea
Fills the heart of the tyrant witli fear,
While its folds floating noble and free
Ever brings to the lK)ndinan a cheer;
CtSlBBRATtON ^XHBOISMS,
'Tis the flag that our fathers unrolled,
For liberty, peril and scars,
And oh I long shall it wave to the world.
The flag of the Stripes and the Stars.
Our flag in the past has been our anchor and our
hope ; and in many hot and fiercely contested battles,
while it led the way to danger, and demanded cour-
age, it led to victory as well, and to-day we meet,
in part to honor and salute it, in the name of more
than fifty million people who have grown strong and
great under the shadows of its folds. We know its
worth and cost, and the blessings it has conferred upon
us. And to-day, on the 109th year of its adoption, and the
110th anniversary of the vote by which our fathers in Con-
necticut in solemn convention assembled and instructed
their delegates in the Continental Congress at Philadelphia
to vote for freedom as embodied in the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, which vote was taken July 4th, 1776. On this an-
niversary the sorrows of yesterday and the fears of to-mor-
row bring no sad hearts to mar the festivities of this day.
But our fathers 109 years ago looked upon another pic-
ture; sad and cheerless as it was, they did not despond, nor
did haughty Briton find in them men bom to be slaves.
Let us hope that the same spirit exists to-day. True there
were some among us in early days that played the part of
traitors, but the great body of the people were true to their
flag, and it led them through the dai'kness that surrounded
them, over frozen ground and snow, across the dark Dela-
ware, onward and onward to Yorktown. Then its stripes
became brighter and brighter, and its stars shone out in
greater clearness. No gems however effulgent and beautiful
ever looked half so brilliant as did our banner on the morn-
ing that General Washington gathered his triumphant army
around it at Yorktown to receive the surrender of the sword
from Lord Comwallis, the commander of the British forces
in America. Why should it not look bright ? The war was
ended, it was a day of victory and rejoicing. Our veteran
80 BAMDBN OEKTSNAltT.
soldiers shouted their loud amen. Cheer after cheer made
the welkin ring. Their prayers arose for the success of the
flag of the nation.
" Its folds all around us be spread,
Emblazoned with the deeds of the valiant,
And crowned with the acts of the dead."
For a while it was the good fortune of our flag to float in
peace, but by and by dark clouds of war again lowered
over the heads of our people. Strife and blood were certain;
but the day of encounter and battle had hot fully come.
Diplomacy was doing what it could to avert the storm.
Justice and right were on our side and pleaded stoutly and
fiirmly in our behalf. But the British lion grew more and
more fierce, his roar more and more terrific. At last war
came. It was with our old enemy, smarting under its for-
mer defeat. Again our flag was unfurled, and patriots
gathered to sustain it and pledge anew their loyalty and
devotion to it, and suffer, if need be, in its defense. The
war is known to us as the war of 1812. The battles were
mostly fought upon the waters, and we encountered what
was then known as the strongest maritime nation of the
world. But our banner, after a fierce struggle, again floated
in triumph, and songs of rejoicing were again heard
throughout our borders. Our nation was at peace, and the
glad tidings of great joy were proclaimed to the inhab-
itants thereof.
*' In the flaf of our freedom we boast.
Oh t its stripes for the tyrants were made,
And its stars shall light liberty's hosts,
If the tyrant shall dare to invade.
Freedom, glory, is stamped on each fold,
In peace, or in peril, when war's
Hostile banner shall meet it unrolled.
The flag of the Stripes and the Stars."
This war gave us a new national song. I refer to Key's
** Star Spangled Banner." The bombardment of Fort Mc-
Henry was the occasion of its production, and called forth
his grand eulogy on our nation's banner at an hour of great
OELEBBATION EXBBCIBBB, 81
peril and danger which it was then passing through. How
deeply and how strongly he loved our flag. Let a few lines
of his own words tell.
" Ohl say can you see by the dawn's early light
What 80 proiidly we bailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Wlioso broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous night,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantlv streaming,
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air.
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Ohl say does the star spangly! banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"
'* And where is the band who so vauntinely swore,
'Mid the havoc of war and battle's confusion,
A home and a country they'd leave us no more?
Their blood hath washed out their foul footstep's pollution.
« « * » * * «
And the star spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."
Time rolled on, and under the protection of our flag man-
ufactures increased, earth produced abundantly, industry
of all kinds received its just reward for labor ; science, art
and literature advanced step by step to a higher state of
perfection. Our country made rapid strides in almost every-
thing important to us as a people. Our growth was such
as to give great encouragement. Gigantic steps towards a
higher civilization were plainly visible in all directions.
Steamships and railways, canals and other modes of trans-
portation multiplied ; and the telegraph, an invention of
our own, added brilliancy and luster to the sciences already
enjoyed by us. And nothing more seemed wanting to make
us great, happy and prosperous. But our flag, so great and
powerful in peace, so desirable to give prosperity to a na-
tion, was soon called upon to take another step. And from
the mouth of tlie llio Gnmde it led our conquering army
over the plains of Mexico. Victory after victory followed
its advance. It floated in triumph over the battle fields of
Monterey, Palo Alto, Cerro Gordo, Buena Vista and many
others. It stormed and carried the heights of Chepultepec,
and by the hands of our gallant Seymour our flag was vie-
HAMDBN OENTBNABT,
toriously placed upon the ramparts of the fortress. And
neither was its progress stayed until its final and complete
victory, when it waved in glory over the " halls of the Mon-
tezumas," and Mexico was brought to acknowledge its
power, its prowess and its mercy. Our flag is now known
and honored in every part of the civilized world ; and un-
der its folds our seamen and citizens, wherever they may
be, find a safe protector. It has streamed around the globe
time and again; it has been planted upon our highest
mountains and peaks. Everywhere it is respected because
of its worth. It stands to-day symbolizing Freedom, Unity,
Nationality, Courage, Fortitude, Strength ; age, endurance
and enterprise also add brightness to its colors. And why
should it not be respected ?
Said a little girl to her mother during the late war : ''I
know why it is that our flag is respected, and will be vic-
torious. ' " How so ?" says the mother. '^ Because," says
the little girl, "the blue heavens are dotted all over with
stars, and to-day, just after the shower, I saw the remain-
ing part of our starry banner in the sky, and it spanned
the heavens. It must be victorious, for it is OocPs l>anner ;
and father will return shortly to us." It is the same ban-
ner that Ellsworth, at Alexandria, would hoist in the place
of one that did not belong to our whole country, and he
forfeited his life because of his love of it. It is the same
banner concerning which General Dix gave his memorable
order, to wit: '^ Whoever attempts to puU down the
American flag shoot him on the spot." It is the same ban-
ner that patriots have chosen for a winding sheet. It is
the same banner that led the little band upon an errand of
mercy and science to the polar seas, under Dr. Kane, in
pursuit of Sir John Franklin and his men, who sailed un-
der a British flag. Here again it was destined to endure
great suffering, hardship and privations. But it added
glory to its renown already gained, because of its errand of
mercy and humanity. And the same flag that accompanied
him on another expedition — and it had already floated far-
OEL^BRAtlON BJiEROlSSS,
ther north and farther south than any other one flag in the
world — is known as the *' Grinnell flag of the Antarctic.'*
It had accompanied Commodore Wilkes in his far off
southern discovery, and had been on two voyages to the
Polar seas, and it has been its destiny to float over the
highest northern land, not only in America, but on the
globe. It floated at the mast of the vessel on which Doctor
Kane wrote some of the finest poetical imagery ever re-
corded, when surrounded by the unbroken silence of an
Arctic winter. He says in describing the scene around him :
" The intense beauty of the Arctic firmament can hardly be
imagined. It looks close above our heads, with its stars
magnified in glory, and the very planets twinkling so much
as to baffle the observation of the astronomer. I have trod-
den the decks when the life of the earth seemed suspended^—
its movements, its sounds, its coloring, its companionship —
and as I looked on the radiant hemisphere circling above
me, as if sending worship to the unseen center of light, I
ejaculated: **Lord, what is man thatTliou art mindful
of him,' and then I turned my thoughts to the kindly
world we had left behind, with its revolving sunlight and
shadow, and the other stars that gladden it in their
changes, and the hearts that warmed to us there, till I lost
myseK in the memories of those who are not, and they bore
me back to the stars again."
As an American I am rejoiced to quote in your hearing
this beautiful imagery of Dr. Kane, and I glory in the
thought, that these lines so full of beauty, so delicate and
rich, and yet so full of heart, and love, were written by an
American, on board of an American vessel, bearing aloft
the glorious ensign of our republic. How great the heart
of Dr. Kane ! And how noble was his mission 1 Science
and humanity alike cherish his memory, and our dear old
flag becomes all the brighter because humanity and good
will to man are among its attributes.
The nation to whom this flag belongs, has reason to re-
joice in its many victories, and we hope for the contin-
6
84 EAMDBN OBNTBNABT.
uance of the nation it symbolizes. This day we wonder not
that great men, as well as good, loved our Union and spoke
in strains of eloquence in its behalf ; that it might not be-
come broken and dissevered, discordant, belligerent. Web-
ster, in his great speech, tells us how much we are indebted
to this Union which our flag represents, and prays that his
''eyes' last feeble glance may see the gorgeous ensign of the
republic, now known and honored throughout the earth,
still high advanced ; its arms and trophies streaming in the
original luster, not a stripe erased or polluted, not a single
star obscured, bearing for its motto no such miserable inter-
rogatory as 'What is all this worth?' or those other words of
delusion and folly, 'liberty first and Union afterward;' but
everywhere, spread all over in characters of living light,
blazing on all its ample folds, as they float over sea and
over the land, and in every wind under the heaven, that
other sentiment, dear to every American heart, ' Liberty
and Union ; now and forever, one and inseparable.' "
But, alas, how near our Union came to be broken, dis-
severed, and our flag robbed of half of its lustre and bright-
ness 1 Let the firing upon Fort Sumter tell. I will not
weary you with a recital of the wrongs and abuses that
were heaped upon it, for the scenes and memories of those
days are still fresh to us all. But we may say that the
thundering upon our flag at Sumter rallied the patriots of
this land, and they flocked together around it to protect it
or die. The struggle was long and vigorous ; we were of
one blood. "Greek met Greek," and war in all its fury
spread over our fair land. Years rolled by and the war
continued. At last, thanks to the patriotic boys in blue,
and the steady hand of our own immortal Lincoln, our
Union was preserved and our flag triumphant. Yes, thanks
I say to our boys in blue, some of whom sacriflced life,
others the comforts of home, endured hardships and pri-
vations, many of them in prisons and prison pens, suffering
beyond the power of man to describe. But at length con-
querors they were, and the stars and stripes instead of an-
OELBBBATION JSXEB0I8B8. 85
other flag waved over its rightful possessions. Then it was
that we " rallied around the flag, boys, rallied once again,
shouting the battle cry of freedom."
And to-day we would express our gratitude to the Great
Ruler of nations for the triumph of our flag and its well
earned victories over those who would destroy it and plant
another in its place. But now the old flag waves all the
brighter. Freedom means more to-day than before the
struggle. For
" No slave is here, our unchained feet
Walk freely as the waves that beat off our coast."
Then on this anniversary, commemorative of the 109th
year of our flag's existence, let us pledge anew our devo-
tion to it and the nation it represents. May we love the
old flag more and more, as time rolls on ; then glory and
brightness will surround it, and its dazzling beauty and
effulgence will more than equal the auroral light or the
splendor of the morning sun. Then it wUl continue to be
the flag of our children and our children's children, as in
early times it was the flag of our fathers. It is the
Flag of the free heart's only home ;
By angels' hands to valor given,
Thy stars have lit the welkin dome,
And all thy hues were born of heaven.
Forever float our standard sheet)
Where breathes the foe but falls before us,
With freedom's soil beneath our feet
And freedom's banner waving o'er us.
HAMDBN OBNTENART.
PROF. S. E. BALDWIN'S ADDRESS.
|ADIES AND Gkktlemen : I think you have some
right to be surprised to see so many New Haven-
ers upon the stage. But in the venerable volume
with which your president opened the meeting,
by reading your charter you may have noticed that in the
original incorporation of the town, a committee was ap-
pointed to set out to Hamden her due proportion of the
poor of New Haven. It has been the general belief of our
town, that they did not set oft quite enough, and our
selectmen are here to-day, to bring the rest. And this is
the rule in New Haven, that all able bodied paupers must
earn their meals if they get them at the town's expense.
You have heard my friend, Mr. Sperry, earning his, and
now I am earning mine.
In his history of the American flag, he only made one
mistake, and that was in regard to the State Flag that
General Putnam carried with him to Bunker HiU. He did
not tell us why it was red. General Putnam knew what
kind of a flag the auctioneers used in Connecticut, and
he was going to sell out all the interest of King George the
Third, in this country.
We New Haveners have felt more at home here, since
we heard from one of our party, Mr. Goodyear, that he
and his family have owned this lot we meet on for two
hundred years.
As we stand here on land that to-day belongs to Ham-
den, and one hundred years ago was in the jurisdiction of
New Haven, no one can congratulate you on your century
of independent existence more than the citizens of the
mother town. The true source, as his Excellency, the
Governor has hinted, the true source of aU the strength
of American Institutions, lies in the number of its self-
governing political communities. Whether you call them
OBLBBBATION BXBB0I8B8. 87
towns, counties or states, the principle is the same : But)
nonsense aside, it is local self-government. It is the right
of every considerable body of men, living together, to tax .
themselves, and to regulate, as they best please, the general
order of their lives and their relations to each other.
Hamden left New Haven in 1786, because her inhabitants
thought they were better able to manage their local affairs
themselves, than if they had the interference of voters on
the edge of Branf ord. That they were right, your prosper-
ity and our prosperity in New Haven alike testify: There can
be no effectual government by town meeting, unless it is
held within easy distance of every voter. And this lesson
the older towns of Connecticut learned early. It has
made Connecticut the land of steady habits and strong
local attachments.
We love the town we live in, and it is a sentiment always
to be encouraged. We love our town as we love our state,
our native land, each loved and all loved, because they make
us as free as we are strong; because they make it possible for
a people to grow great without ceasing to be able to govern
themselves. This is the lesson that England is learning from
centuries of Irish misrule, and \ hope that Mr. Gladstone
will make her see that the only remedy is Home Rule.
We have taught England the good of the public school,
let her take next our American theory of local seK-govem-
ment.
The Refoiiu Bill of 1832, and the recent extensions of
Parliamentary suffrage have swept away almost the last
vestige of royal authority from England. France, within
the century, has changed from a democracy to an empire,
and then to a kingdom, then back to an empire, and then
to a republic. Tlie Empire of Germany has swallowed up
nearly the whole of Central Europe. The Kingdoms of
Italy, Greece and Spain, are all new.
Among all these changes stands the United States of
America unchanged, just as she was when she adopted her
National Constitution in 1789.
EAMDEN OBNTENART.
We have a history to be proud of as Americans, and we
here in Conneotiout have a longer history of our own
to be proud of. Although our State may be a small one,
it has always been found ready to do its duty ; in the wars
of King Philip, in the siege of Louisburg, in the struggles
of the Revolution, in the shock of the civil war, her regi-
ments have always been at the front ; her leaders true ;
her people firm. And these institutions for which our
fathers lived, and, if need be, died, we do well to com-
memorate on days like this. A hundred years of growing
population and spreading industry, a hundred years of
honest government, a hundred years during which no
invading army has touched this soil ; these things make
up for Hamden a history that may not be a dramatic or
brilliant one, but it is something better. It speaks of
happy homes, of busy mill wheels, of self-supporting
churches, of schools open to the poorest at the e3cpense of
all. This is the history of Hamden for a hundred years,
and anniversaries like these teach us to recognize the
blessings that we possess.
Let the day serve to remind us all that we have received
from our fathers a great inheritance in institutions that
are worth more tliian property — ^institutions on which all
property depends — and this inheritance it is our business
to transmit to our children.
One hundred years from to-day this anniversary will be
celebrated on this spot before a new audience, by a genera-
tion yet unborn. Let it be ours to do what we can to
leave to future times unimpaired the heritage of freedom
and self-government which is the ancient glory of the
towns of Connecticut.
OBLBBRATION SXEB0t8E8.
ADDRESSES AND REMARKS.
KEV. Mli. D. MO MULLEN, PASTOli OP THE METHODIST
SOCIETY, HAMDEN PLAINS.
CELEBRATED minister, now dead, being called
upon to speak, said, ''that speech is silvery and
silence is golden." I prefer to give yon the gold
and sit down, for I am only a '' bird of passage "
and am not '* to the manor bom," and probably owe it to
the fact that I am a minister amongst you that I am now
called upon to speak,
- I am glad to have the pleasure and honor of taking part
in this Centennial celebration, and to congratulate the town
of Hamden for having attained the ripe old age of one hun-
dred years to-day. We have heard that it is not in the
power of tlie General Assembly to disfranchise you, and
constitutions are not likely to be changed, and so a hun-
dred years from to-day the town of Hamden will doubtless
be a great deal more populous and a great deal stronger
than it is to-day. I appreciate the sentiment uttered by the
Governor of the State, that all the citizens of the town of
Hamden will go home better citizens than when they came
this morning. I am sure that I shall go home to-night feel-
ing prouder and better than I did this morning.
I was much interested in the discourse concerning the
flag. The red, the white and the blue may be regarded as
emblems ; the red of war, the white of purity, and the blue
of loyalty.
I was glad to hear of the origin of the name Hamden —
John Hampden 1 A great name, and I pray that the town
of Hamden may never disgrace the name it bears, as it
never has disgraced it in the past.
40 SAMDEjr OSNtEJSrARlt.
And I am glad that we stand here to-day together aronnd
the firm platform of religious understanding.
We are all standing on the same platform, and we have
in our churches the only kind of unity that we can have ;
we have the unity of the spirit in a bond of peace. We
agree to disagree on unessential things, and the time has
come when the fences have been broken down between the
different churches, that we can attend each other's places
of worship, and yet we all prefer our own religious belief,
I pray God that His blessing may rest upon all churches,
and I tliank Him that the time has come when Father Put-
nam and myself can exchange pulpits. And as revolutions
never go backwards the time will never come again when
the old time fences will be built up between the churches. ^
REV. FATHER HUGH MALLON.
I am in a position that is rather awkward to me. I am
not accustomed to address such a large body of people, but
the occasion certainly is one that I could not well pass
without being present, and scarcely could let pass without
saying a word of encouragement and congratulation to the
town of Hamden. I have been associated with you for the
last nineteen years, and certainly my relations with you
have been of the most congenial kind. I have always found
you ready to assist me and my struggling people in any-
thing that I undertook. The good will that you have
always shown and felt, I feel and always will feel. And I
am very glad that the occasion has come— the Centennial
celebration of the town of Hamden.
And I have learned more from his Excellency, the Gov-
ernor of Connecticut, regarding the power that is placed in
the towns of the State of Connecticut than ever I knew
before, and he has given me a new idea of what would make
our home across the Atlantic happy— self government.
Home Bule^ as he well says, a town in itself, is a little
OBLEBBATION SXEBCT8E8. 41
community of men who control their own affairs and pro-
mote their own prosperity, and thus make themselves
happy.
This certainly is new information to me in regard to the
laws that govern the towns and counties and the State in
general. I have learned certainly to-day to tliink more of
this town of Hamden ; especially its history has been to me
a new one in many particulars.
I did not understand fully its beginning, its troubles,
and its willingness to help in everything that required
manhood. Tliey went forth in the early days of the decla-
ration of independence, and they upheld it with iirmness
and brought it home in glory.
HOK. HENRY TUTTLE.
I will not weary your patience long, for there are large
numbers present whom I would much rather listen to than
to have you listen to me. It is with the greatest pride and
pleasure that I see before me such a multitude assembled
here for the purpose of uniting with us in this grand cele-
bration of ours ; it. is also an additional pleasure to me,
and I presume to all of you, to see so large a number
of old men here to-day ; old gray-headed men who have
lived past the usunl age of men, many of them nearly 90
years of age, many who have filled important positions for
the people in this town. And let me say to you, old men,
that your race and mine is nearly run, and the places that
you have filled have soon got to be filled by the young
men, and I believe that I speak the sentiments of aU of you,
when I say that I hope and trust the young men will fill
the places far more acceptably than we have. We hope
that the young and rising generation will so economically
manage the affairs of this town hereafter that the people
will be ready to exclaim, ^ Veil done good and faithful ser-
vants."
6
42 HAMDEN OENTENART,
If we are rightly informed by history, our people have
been noted for preparing for war in time of peace. Come
to the Loan Exhibition, and you will there see exhibits
showing that men from this place took a part in the Revo-
lution. Again, when the British entered New Haven, the
farmers of the town of Hamden left their plows in the iield .
to seize the muskets and whatever arms they had, and rush
in to the city of New Haven, to help repel the invaders.
Still later on, in the war of 1812, when the call for troops
was made, Hamden responded to the call and sent a huge
number of men who served in that war until peace was de-
clared. A record of every one of them has been preserved
by me.
Still later, in the war of the rebellion, the patriotic young
men of Hamden responded to the call for men, they went
to the front and were in many a hard fought battle, and
there are many present here who mourn tlie loss of near
and dear friends who fell while fighting manfully for the
American Union.
It is with great pleasure that we see our State officially
so well represented here to-day. We hope and trust that
all proposed laws of our State wiU be wisely considered be-
fore being made, and so properly administered that the
rising generations may have reason to look with pride upon
this good old Commonwealth of Connecticut.
JAMES H. WEBB.
Having already had my dinner, I feel somewhat con-
strained to perpetrate upon you one of the stupid speechea
of Mr. Hale's double. A clergyman, who was always
caUed upon to make speeches on occasions like this,
found it such a bore that he went to a poor house and
found a man that looked like him and sent him around in
his place. His double was instructed to say, that so much
had already been said on the subject, and so well said,
that he could not see the necessity of saying any more.
CELEBRATION EXSROiaES. 43
But I am conscientious, although I belong to a profes-
sion the members of which some people say have no con-
science.
And so, having had my dinner, and received my pay, I
cannot sit down without saying something. Indeed, I
never realized until this day what a grand old town Ham-
den is. And I don't believe the people of this town half
realize their privileges.
We have heard a great deal to-day, and a great many
things that we ought to be very proud of. In New York
State the poor are cared for by counties, and the roads are
cared for by counties, but here the town controls, and as you
have heard to-day, from the act of incorporation, the town
has the right to fish in New Haven, which is a very valuable
right. I recall only yesterday, a man came into my office
and complained that somebody had been digging clams in
front of his barn, down at Short Beach. I dare say it was
some Hamden farmer who had been to the town clerk's
office and read this act of incorporation.
I have never before realized the natural beauties of this
vaUey so vividly and forcibly as now, with its magnificent
mountain range on the north, and East and West Rocks on
its sides. We have, indeed, a goodly heritage, and we
ought to be proud of it.
And I feel proud of this town that it shows such a pub-
lic sentiment, such a local town pride, as has made this
occasion possible. And I feel it the more deeply because
there are two difficulties which the people of this town
have to contend with ; first, we are so near New Haven
that every important movement tends to be swallowed up
in the great city lying only five miles away, and the second
is that we have no common center, and that in itseK is a
very great disadvantage, and retards the building up of a
town pride and local sentiment of our own.
And another thing is very important, we have no con-
centration of population in the town of Hamden; it is dif-
fused. This Centerville should be called Hamden ; the
44 HAMDEN OENTENART.
Government did perfectly right when it designated the
post office of this village the post office of Hamden. It
wonld help largely in developing the town pride if it were
so called. Our people, as we all know, are scattered from
Whitneyville in a series of small hamlets to the Cheshire
line.
I can only say, Mr. Chairman, in closing, that I hope
with you all, that the century upon which we are now en-
tering may be as illustrious and prosperous and as happy
as were the citizens who made the town illustrious in the
past.
MR. IVES, OF MOUNT OARMEL.
I ought not to need much of an introduction, for I am
one of the old inhabitants and was born in Hamden.
Allusion has been made to tlie slow metliod of carting
freight from New York to Boston by ox-teams. This was
within my recollection. It was my father who had two of
those teams on the road, and three of my brothers were en-
gaged in driving them.
I have placed in the Loan Exhibition a piece of one of
the old wagons made by my father for this freighting. He
made one that would carry as much as two of the ordinary
carts. He took two cart wheels and two wagon wheels and
put on a box body thirteen feet long, four feet wide and
eighteen inches deep. It was made the year that I was
bom, and did good service. It was slow and tedious work
walking from New York to Boston in those days, and but
few of our young men would care to undertake such a jour-
ney to-day.
OOL. A. H. ROBERTSON, OP NEW HAVEN.
Before dinner I heard read from the records, that when
the town of Hamden was set off from the town of New
Haven, a certain number of poor people were placed on the
town of Hamden as her portion. One of the speakers said
OBUSBRATION SXISB0I8E8. 45
that the poor in New Haven had to earn their dinner be-
fore they ate it. Now I feel highly complimented that you
gave me the dinner before you heard the speech, and I feel
confident if you had heard the speech before I got the din-
ner, I would have had to go without the dinner.
In these Centennial celebrations it brings to the mind of
each one of us that we belong to these little towns who fur-
nished the first constitutions the world ever saw. I think
I can say without contradiction, that they are due to the
little republics of the State of Connecticut.
Gentlemen, there is something further and beyond the
past in these celebrations ; they bring together all classes
of society, all differences in religion, and all differences be-
tween capital and labor are annihilated. And the people
that form one of these celebrations not only benefit the
town of Hamden, but the State of Connecticut, and the
whole of the United States are made better than they were
before. I cordially thank you for the entertainment I have
received here to-day ; I had not intended to say a word,
and I have made these few remarks as best I could at the
request of the chairman.
46 HAMDEN OBNTENART,
THE LOAN EXHIBITION.
|HE vacant store adjoining the town clerk's office
was secured for the exhibition and the shelves
and counters were soon filled with interesting rel-
ics from all parts of the town. Tlie collection
was visited by thousands during the day, and general
regret was expressed that it could not be kept together for
a longer period. There was not time for the preparation of
a catalogue of the objects, and only a partial list of them
can be given, for whicli the History is chiefly indebt/ed t^
Miss E. E. Dickerman, of Mt. Cannel.
LIST OF OBJECTS AND EXHIBITORS.
Ancient Clock, exhibited by Mrs. John Andrews.
Pair of Silver Candlesticks, Mr. Hobart Kimberly.
Ancient China, Mr. Jared Dickerman.
Piece of the Pulpit of the first church at Mt. Cannel. Mr. Jared Dickerman.
Part of the wagon used in carting from New York to Boston, Mr. Lucius Ives.
Ancient Chair, Mrs. Heath.
Ancient Slippers, Mrs. Heath.
String of Gold Beads, Mrs. Eneas Warner.
Mason's apron, over 100 years old, Mrs. Qw, Dudley.
Ancient Deeds, Mrs. Geo. Dudley.
Account Book, over 100 years old, Mrs. Qeo. Dudley.
Continental money, Mrs. Geo. Dudley.
Pine Tree Shilling, Mrs. Geo. Dudley.
Continental money, Dr. Swift.
Chair, over 100 years old. Miss Julia Dickerman.
Pewter Platter, Miss Julia Dickerman.
Home-made linen sheets. Miss Julia Dickerman.
Gold sleeve buttons, 180 years old, L. A. Dickerman.
Gold Ring, over 100 years old. Miss Ella Leeke.
Ancient Linen, Mrs. C. A. Burleigh.
Ancient China. Howard Doolittle.
Old-fashioned Bonnet, Mrs. Samuel Baldwin.
Center table, Mrs. Samuel Baldwin.
Shell Back Comb, Mrs. Samuel Baldwin.
OELEBRATION BXER0I8B8, 47
Biblo, ovor 200 years old, Mr. Samuel Baldwin.
Tuning fork, Mr. Samuel Baldwin.
Pair of pistols, Allen D. Osbom.
Hand-made Gun, Mr. J. J. Webb.
Cartridge-box, Mr. J. J. Webb.
Saddle-bag, Mr. J. J. Webb.
China soup turreen, Mrs. J. J. Webb.
Silver Watch, old, Mr. Edwin Potter.
Ancient Counterpane, Mrs. R. H. Cooper.
Writing Desk chair, Mrs. N. B. Mix.
Ancient shell comb, Mrs. N. B. Mix.
Calashes, nearly a century old, Mrs. N. B. Mix.
Tow, as used for spinning, Mrs. N. B. Mix.
Medals and Diplomas, chiefly for agricultural products, Mr. G. W. Bradley.
Flint-lock gun, Mr. H. W, Tuttle.
Brown Satin Vest, Mrs. Fannie Ives.
Infant's cap worn by the late C. W. Everest, Mrs. Everest.
Ancient Linen, Mrs. Charles Ailing.
Ancient China, Mrs. W. W. Woodruff.
Baptismal dress and cloak. Miss Eliza Bassett.
Spectacles, over 100 years old, Mrs. L. H. Bassett.
Ancient silk shawl and lace, Mrs. James Ives.
Collection of arrow heads and Indian relics, Herbert Dickerman.
Ancient oll-palntlng, Mrs. Olinstcad.
Ancient chair, Mr. Jared Atwater.
Qun, of ancient date, Mr. Jared Atwater.
Silver tea-set, Mra. Burton.
Spoons, Mrs. Burton,
Pair of slippers, Mrs. Burton.
Fan, Mrs. Burton.
Masonic apron, Miss Mamie Dickerman.
Pair of home-made trousers, coat and shoes, Mr. J. B. Jacobs.
Swords, of old-fashioned mnkc, exhibitors unknown.
Baby Jumper, or walking stool, Mrs. Ezra Ailing.
Ancient China, Mrs. Ezra Ailing.
Ancient China, Mrs. Russell.
Cup and saucer that came over in the Mayflower, exhibitors unknown.
Ancient China, Mrs. A. O. Beach.
Silver Pepper-box and Spoon, over 200 years old, with Tower mark, brought
from ICnghiiid to Casco Bay, Maine, in the seventeenth century, and by
Captain Solomon Phipps to New Haven, before 1776, and since used in
this town and vicinity, Danforth Phipps Blake.
Oartoiicbc-liox, patent of Captain Jonathan Mix, Wm. P. Blake.
Patent from the United States to Captain Jonathan Mix for the manufacture of
elliptic carriage springs, witli signatures of Thomas Jefferson and James
Madison, Wm. P. Blake.
48 HAMBEN OENTENART,
Table used at the Academy of Music, Philadelphia, when General Grant was
nominated for the second term, Wm. P. Blake.
Embroidery made in 1706, Mrs. Eliza Sherman.
Tinder-box, with tinder, flint and steel, used to obtain fire in Hamden as late as
the year 1885, Wm. P. Blake.
Blankets made by the Navajo Indians, Wm. P. Blake.
Cotton Gin. The original model of the cotton gin made by the inventor, Eli
Whitney, Eli Whitney, Jr.
Welsh Bible. On the inside of one of the covers of this Bible an old manu-
script receipt is pasted, of which the following is a copy:
MroDLBTOWN, 10 July, 1777.
Rec'd of Gapt. Saml. Hearst by the hands of Sergt. Sam'l. Hubbard
for our service in defence of this state from the 20th of April to ye sec-
ond of May last the sums respectively affixed to our names.
£. s. p.
* * BBTBB Bishop, * 14 8i
Stephen Pabbonb, 85
Eprahdc Croput, 16 13
Samubl Johnson, 15 11
Solomon Sags, 14 02
Stephen WiLLOOX, 1412
[Exhibited by J. Barnard.]
Old Pamphlet Sermon : The | necessity of | atonement | and tiie consistency
between that and | free grace | in forgiveness. | Illustrated in three ser-
mons I preached before his excellency the Governor | and a large num-
ber of both Houses of the Legislature of the State of Connecticut | dur-
ing their session at New Haven in October, A, D., mdcclxxxv. By
Jonathan Edwards, D.D., Pastor of a Church in New Haven. New
Haven: Printed by Meigs, Bowen and Dana, mdcclxxxv. [12mo., pp.64].
Exhibited by James Ives.
Pamphlet Sermon : The examination of the late Bev'd President Edward's |
Enquiry on Freedom of Will. | Continued | [etc., etc.] To which are
subjoined strictures on the Rev'd. W. West's essay on Moral Agency,
etc. By James Dana, D. D., pastor of the church in Wallingford. New
Haven: Printed by Thomas and Samuel Green, 1778.
Exhibited by James Ives
Ancient Document, by members of the Tuttle family, Miss Emma L. Blake.
PART n.
HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIYE.
TITLE, BOUNDARIES AND TOPOGRAPHY.
PURCHASE OF THE LAND FROM THE INDIANS.
|HEN the colony of New Haven was established in
1638 the region was inhabited by the Quinnipiac
Indians, a tribe of the Mohegan nation. Dr.
Dwight, writing in 1811, calls them the Mohe-
haneews, or Muhheakunnuks, and says that '* Charles,"
the last sachem of the tribe, died about eighty years before
(about 1730).
A tract of land, belonging to these aboriginal occupants,
eighteen miles long and tliirteen miles wide, was purchased
November 24th, 1638, by the Rev. John Davenport and
Theophilus Baton, in behalf of the first planters of New
Haven, of Momauguin, Sachem of Quinnipiac, and partly of
Montowese, Sachem of Mattabeseck (Middletown). This,
of course, included what is now the town of Hamden.
7
50 HAMDBN OENTBNART,
The farmers of Hamden, when ploughing or hoeing, oc-
casionally find spear and arrow-heads of stone, and are
thus reminded of the former occupation of their lands by
savage tribeis. The arrow-heads are generally made of
white quartz, and they are rudely fashioned, but do not
differ greatly from the arrow-heads found in other parts of
the Atlantic states. Arrow points, or flakes of obsidian, or
volcanic glass, so common in the volcanic regions of the
Eocky Mountains and beyond, have not been found here.
EOYAL OHAETEB OP 1662.
The charter of Connecticut, obtained by the exertions of
Winthrop, from Charles II, king of England, in 1662, con-
veyed to the "Governor and Company of the English Col-
lony of Connecticut, in New England, in America.'^ "All
that parte of * * * New England * * * bounded
on the east by Norrogancett River, commonly called Nor-
rogancett Bay, where the said river f alleth into the sea,
and on the north by the lyne of the Massachusetts planta-
tion, and on the south by the sea; and in longitude as the
lyne of the Massachusetts colony, runinge from east to west,
that is to say, from the said Narrogancett Bay on the east
to the South Sea on the west parte."
This grant thus included parts of Rhode Island, New York
and New Jersey, and a strip of land seventy miles wide, ex-
tending westward across the continent from New Jersey
westward, between north latitude 41*^ and latitude 42*^.2' to
the Pacific Ocean. Tliis remarkable grant included what is
now the northern part of Pennsylvania, the lake region of
Ohio, the city of Chicago, Davenport Iowa, a large part of
the territory of Nebraska and Wyoming traversed by the
Union Pacific railway, a large part of Utah, taking in the
northern part of the great Salt Lake and the city of Ogden;
the northern part of Nevada, and the northern counties of
California to the south line of Oregon,
EiaTOBWAL AND DESORIPTIVE. 61
EXTENT AND BOUNDARIES OF THE TOWN.
The town of Hamden as set off from the town of New
Haven by the General Assembly of Connecticut in 1786
consisted of (1) the Parish of Mt. Carmel and (2) of the
region within the limits of the Seventeenth Military com-
pany in the Second regiment of militia. The bounds of
this Seventeenth military company are given in the act of
incoi'poration as follows:
"Beginning at the foot of the Long Bridge, so called,
[Lewis's Bridge on the Middletown turnpike], from thence a
strait line to a dwelling house owned by Mr. Hez'h. Sabin*,
now in possession of George Peckham; thence on the north
side of said house a strait line to the southeast comer of
the farm lately owned by Col. John Hubbard dec'asd; thence
in the line of said farm to the top of the West Rock; thence
on said Rock northerly to the southeast corner of Wood-
bridge; thence in the line of said Woodbridge to the south-
west corner of Mt. Carmel Society: thence in the south line
of said Society to North Haven line; thence upon said line
to the East river; thence along the middle of said river to
the first mentioned corner. ' '
The bounds of the Parish of Mt. Carmel are not given in
the act, but according to the records of the colony, reciting
the action of the General Assembly in 1767, they were as
foUows:
" On the memorial of Daniel Bradly, Israel Sperry, Joel
Munson and others, inhabitants of the First Society in New
Haven, living in the north part thereof, praying that they
may be formed into a distinct ecclesiastical society, as by
their memorial on file: Resolved by this Assembly that
the inhabitants and persons living within the limits and
*Ilezekiah Sabin's liouse stood on tho top of tlio hill south of Whitney ville,
and on the west side of the avenue, near where Dr. Crane's house now stands.
After Sabin's occupation it was known as the "Peckham place." Tlie cellar of
the old house was visible until within a few years. Mr. Eli Whitney built
and occupied a house near there. The place was sold to the Suydam family,
and is now owned by Dr. and Mrs. Crane. — W. P. B.
HAMDEN 0ENTENAR7.
bounds following, viz: Beginning at the southeast comer,
at the mouth of Shepard's Brook, so called, where said
brook falls into the Mill River, thence running westward a
parallel line with the line on the south side of the Half
Division, so called, unto the east line of the Parish of Am-
ity, thence northward in said line to Wallingf ord bounds,
and to extend northward from the first mentioned bounds
by said river, being the west side line of North Haven par-
ish bounds until it comes to the south side of James Ives's
farm; thence east in the south line of said farm unto the
highway that runs north and south, and thence north by
the said highway unto Ithamar Todd's farm, including said
farm within the limits of said parish, and thence to the
Blue Hills, so called, and thence easterly in the line of
said North Haven bounds until it comes to said Wallingf ord
bounds, and thence westerly in the north side line of said
New Haven bounds unto said Amity line be, and hereby are,
made a distinct ecclesiastical society, with all the powers,
privileges and immunities that other distinct ecclesiastical
societies in this Colony already established by law have,
and that the same shall hereafter be called and known by
the name of Mount Carmel."*
In May, 1758, the inhabitants of the Parish of Mount
Carmel represented to the Assembly, by memorial, *^ that in
the description of the bounds of the parish by the commit-
tee that lately laid out the same, there was a mistake or
uncertainty with respect to a highway referred to lying
eastward of James Ives's farm, also, that greater certainty
was wanting in the bounds on the southward side of the
Blue Hills; further representing, that it would be convenient
and best to have the bounds on the east, near said Ives and
Ithamar Todd's farm enlarged a small matter, and also on
the south to have the bounds extended down as low as the
south bounds of North Haven parish; praying to have said
enlargements made, or a committee to view, etc., as by the
♦Public Records of Connecticut, October, 1757, Vol. XI, p. 77.
mSTORFOAL AND DEaOBIPTIVE. 53
memorial on file may more fully appear : Resolved by this
Assembly, that Roger Newton, Esq., Capt. Moses Hawkins
and Mr. Enos Brooks be a committee, and they are hereby
impowered and directed as the application, and at the cost
of said inhabitants, to repair to said parish, and having
notified the neighboring parishes, viz. : New Haven First
society and North Haven, to view the situation and circum-
stances of said parish and said neighbor parishes and
make report in the premises to this Assembly in October
next."
In October this committee reported, ^Hhat said parish
ought not to be enlarged as prayed for, but that the bounds
thereof ought to be ascertained in manner as set forth in
said report; and said report hath been read, accepted and
approved of by this 'Assembly ' as by said memorial, ap-
pointment and report of said committee on file appears.
It is therefore resolved by this Assembly that the bounds
of said parish for the future shall be as follows, viz. : " Be-
ginning at the southeast corner at the mouth of Shepherd's
Brook, where said brook falls into the Mill River; thence
running westward a parallel line with the line on the south
side of the half division, so called, unto the east line of the
Parish of Amity; thence northward in said line to Walling-
ford bounds, and to extend northward from the first men-
tioned bounds by said river, being the west side line of
North Haven parish bounds until it comes to the south
side of James Ives's farm, and to run eastwardly a parallel
line with the south line of said James Ives's farm until it
comes to a highway four rods wide; thence north by said
highway unto Ithamar Todd's farm, including said fann
within the limits of said parish, and thence to the Blue
Hills, so called, and to run eastwardly by a highway four
rods wide, that is, by the southward side of the Blue HiU
land, so called, until it comes to a highway six rods wide,
that runs northwardly by the east side of Lt. Blacksley's
house, to run by said highway until it comes north of the
widow Todd's dwelling house, thence eastwardly on the
64 HAMDEN 0ENTENAR7.
southward side of said Blue Hill until it comes to Walling-
ford bounds, at the east end of said hill, and thence west-
wardly in the north side line of said New Haven bounds
unto said Amity line." Pages 193, 194.
For a further account of the formation and history of the
Mt. Carmel parish reference is made to the contribution to
the ecclesiastical history of the town, by the Rev. L. H.
Higgins, in this volume.
It would now be difficult to follow these boundary lines
by the descriptions. Tlie boundaries of f amis have changed
again and again, families have passed away, and houses
have disappeared.
It has, however, been the custom for generations past to
have the boundary lines of the town perambulated by the
selectmen at intervals of a few years, and by this means a
traditional knowledge of the town limits has been main-
tained.
The following, relative to the northern boundary of New
Haven, afterwards a part of Hamden bounds, is interesting
in this connection.
At the court of election, held at Hartford, in May, 1673, it
was granted ^* that the bounds of New Haven shall runn
according as it is agreed betwixt the sayd towne of New
Haven, Brandford, Wallingford andMilford." The agree-
ment was as follows:
^^That New Haven shall runn two miles and a halfe
northward from the foot of the Blew Hills, on the Mill
River, upon that river, and the line from a stake there to
the foote of the Blew Hills on the East River, and from the
sayd two mile and halfo stake along our reare, west and by
north, to the end of , their bownds; which issue they, the
committee for Wallingford, consented to and accepted,
and this to be an issue in loue and peace. Mem-
orandum: That the committee for New Haven doe consent
that the meadow between the Mill River and the East River
northward aboue the Blew Hills shall be Wallingford' s
as to the bulk of it, imd liberty of drowneing it as they
mSTORWAL AUTD DJBI80BIPTIVJ3I. 65
shall see cause, although the line agreed to should cutt
through it."
Subseribed by the ^d parties :
John Morse, The marke of Wm. Joanes,
John Brockett, - John I G Cowper, Sen'r., James Bishop,
Nath'l. Mcrriman, to the agreement, Matthew Gilbert,
Abraham Doolittle, excepting the memoran- Sam'll. Whitehead,
Sam'll Andrews. dum added about ye John Winston,
meadow, wherein he Abram Dickerman,
dissents. Moses Mansfield.
The aboue written is a true coppy of the original."*
At the May court in 1674, the following agreement was
reached and recorded:
^'This writeing sheweth, to all whome it may concerne,
that all differences respecting the line or lines for bownds
between the townes of New Hauen and Wallingf ord are for-
ever ended, and agreements made and concluded by persons
deputed for, and by each towne whose names are under-
written, which agreements are as foUoweth, viz.: That
Wallingf ord bownds on the east side of the East River shall
be from Brandford lyne northerly to Wharton's Brooke,
where it crosseth the sowth branch of the sayd brooke, and
thence as the brooke runns into the East River; and from the
mouth of the sayd Wharton's Brooke, where it falleth into
the sayd East Riuer, the sayd East River to be the bound or
line upward vntill it come as high as the Blew Hills, and
against a tree marked on the west side of the river with aheap
of stones caste at the root of it; and from the sayd tree with
stones at the root of it, a streightline westward to New Ha-
ven, Mill river, where there is a tree marked with a heap of
stones at the root of it, being about two miles and a haKe
aboue the Blew Hills; and from the sayd tree and heap of
stones by the sayd Mill River, a straite line west and by
north to the path which lyethfrom MiKord to Parmington,
by which path is a tree marked and stones cast at the root
of it. To declare this to be our firm and full agreement, wee
*Public Records of tlie Colony of Connecticut, 1675 to 1678; p. 202.
66 HAMDEN OENTENABT,
subscribe our hands this 12th day of May, in the year of
Or Lord, one thowsand six hundred seuenty fower.*
From Wdllingford : From New Haven :
JohnBrockott, ' Tbomarkcof
Samuel Andrews, John I C Oowper, Sen'r.,
Nathaniel Boise. Moses Mansfield,
Abram Dickerman.
MAPS OF THE TOWN— AREA.
There is no good recent map of the town showing its ex-
tent and boundaries. The United States Coast Survey map
of the New Haven region, executed in 1871-1877, under the
immediate supervision of the late R. M. Bache, gives an
excellent representation of the topography and roads of
the southern half of the town, the work not having been
extended north of Centerville. This map is on a scale of
nrW and the differences of elevation are shown by con-
tour lines for each twenty feet.
In the Atlas of New Haven county, published in 1868, by
Beers, Ellis & Soule, a map of Hamden is given on a scale
of two inches to the mile. By measurements made upon
this map the length of the town from north to south is
approximately 8i miles; its breadth at the widest, north
part, 5i miles; and at the narrowest part, 3 miles. Taking
the average breadth as a little under 4 miles, the total area
is approximately 32 square miles.
Barber gives the average length of the town as 7i miles;
average breadth about 3i; making about 26 square miles in
area.
The adjoining towns on the north are Cheshire and Wal-
lingford; on the east. North Haven; on the south. New
Haven; and on the west, Woodbridge and Bethany.
^Public Uecords of the Colony of Connecticut; p. 234.
mSTOBIOAL AND DESOJilPTIVE. 57
TOPOGRAPHY.
ORIGIN OF THE GENERAL FORM OF THE SURFACE.
[HE Quinnipiac river forms a portion of the eastern
boundary, and the town may be said to lie be-
tween the broad valley of the Quinnipiac and the
summit of the West Rock range. The direction
of the greatest length of the town conforms tp the direction
of these two leading natural features, which is a little east
of north, and this general direction is maintained by
the chief streams, the smaller valleys and ridges, by the
leading highways and by the railways. The valley of the
Quinnipiac itself is approximately the same in direction as
. the great Connecticut river valley further north, and there is
good reason to believe that in remote geological history the
Hamden and New Haven valley, including the Quinnipiac
valley, was the southern prolongation of the Connecticut
River valley.
The region first received its approximate form and direc-
tion from its fundamental geological structure; and, sec-
ondly, from the ploughing and planing action of the great
ice-sheet of the glacial era; succeeded by the comparatively
modem eroding and depositing action of existing streams.
Mill River, the principal stream of the town, flows
tlirough its entire length in a general southwesterly direc-
tion. Its principal branch. Shepherd's Brook, flows into it
from the north, a short distance above Augerville. Mill
river is known as one of the chief sources of supply of the
city of New Haven with water, and fills Whitney Dike, the
storage reservoir of the New Haven Water company.
The Narrow gorge at Mt. Carmel, through which Mill
River flows, was formerly known as the Steps.
Wilmot Brook, on the west side of the town, drains a
long, deep valley, on the eastern side of the West Rock
range, and flowing between West Rock and Pine- Rock
8
68 HAMBEN OENTBNABT,
through the village of Westville, reaches West River. It
has an important feeder from the west in the brook flowing
from Wintergreen Lake, also one of the sources of the sup-
ply of water to New Haven.
The chief rocky elevations within the town limits are the
East Rock and the West Rock ranges and the Blue Hills,
now known as Mt. Carmel, or the Sleeping Giant. The bluflf
terminations of both East Rock and West Rock are, how-
ever, a short distance south of the town line, Whitney peak,
rising from the northern slope of East Rock, reaches an alti-
tude of about 300 feet. The bluflf of East Rock is 360 feet
above tide, and the top of West Rock is 387 to 405 feet. Mill
Rock rises to the height of 225 feet, and Pine Rock to 271
feet.
The West Rock range increases in altitude northward from
380 feet at the south end of the town to 480 opposite the
south end of the Wintergreen Lalte; to 675 feet .west of
Cherry Hill, 600 to 610 near the Merrit place, abreast of tlie
Blue Hills. Mt. Carmel ranges from about 600 to 800 feet
in height.
From the top of Mt. Carmel, East Rock appears as a
slight and comparatively isolated elevation. Long Island
sound can be seen over its summit, and Long Island over
the top of the Soldiers' Monument.
The sandstone hills and ridges of the town are aU lower
than the chief trap rock ranges, and are smoothly rounded
oflf, with flowing outlines. They extend generally in long
and approximately parallel lines, and are highest and most
extended under the lee or protection of the chief outbursts
of the trap rock; this harder rock having broken the force
of the denuding action of the ancient glacier. Tlie sand-
stone formation is also found overlying the bedded trap
rocks, and rises in places almost to the summit of the trap
ridges. When hardened and changed by the trappean in-
trusions it resists decay almost as well as the trap, and
forms enduring and picturesque bluflfs.
From the Methodist church southwards there is a broad,
EISTOBIOAL Aim DE80RIPTIVB, 59
sandy and gravelly plain of alluvial origin extending to
New Haven and the harbor. It extends eastward to Mill
Eiver, and westward nearly to the base of West Rock,
around the north slope of Pine Rock. This broad stretch
of comparatively level land is generally known as Hamden
Plains. It is, however, not level, but has a gentle slope
toward tide water.
According to measurements and calculations, made by
Prof. J. D. Dana, the slope of the bed of Mill River is
about fifteen feet per mile, while the slope of the terrace
plain raises from nine to thirteen feet per mile.
At the Mt. Carmel gap the river falls at the rate of twenty-
four feet per mile, or twelve feet in half a mile, owing to
the hard bottom of the trap rock. He gives the following
as approximately the height of the terrace plain along Mill
River, from Whitneyville northwards:
Aboye the Above Mean
RIyer. Tide Leyel.
Whitneyville dam (by calculation) 66 feet 66 feet
1.40 m. above, at the mouth of Piue Marsh Greek 56 " 72 '•
2.25m. " atAugerville 50 " 86 "
4.00 m. " i m. south of Ives's station. 48 •* 103 '•
4.60m. " Ives's station 41 *• 108J "
6.26 m. " South of Mt. Carmel gap 86 " 116 "
From these figures he makes the slope of the terrace
plain up to the station, half a mile south of Ives's station, to
be 12 feet per mile, or for the whole distance to Mt. Carmel
an average of about 11 feet per mile.*
We cannot fail to be impressed by the peculiar duality
of the chief topographical features at the south end of the
town, originating, no doubt, from the two great trappean
intrusions. East Rock on one side and West Rock on the
other, of nearly equal altitude, and both presenting bluflE
faces to the south. Adjoining these bluffs we find subor-
ordinate ones, or spurs. Mill Rock, stretching westward
from East Rock into the Hamden Plain, and Pine Rock,
stretching eastward into the same plain from West Rock.
^Memoir on Topographical feiatures of the New Haven region; p. 96.
HAMDEN OENTENABY.
Mill Rock is separated from East Bock by Mill River,
and Pine Rock from West Rock by Wilmot Brook.
A broad river formerly flowed around the west end of
Mill Rock. The ancient channel may be traced from Mill
River through Pine swamp diagonally across to the Beaver
pond valley and West River, by a line of depressions and
terraced channels. The wearing action of the river drift,
entirely different from that produced by a glacier, may be
seen on the ledges at the west end of the Rock. The accu-
mulation of gravelly and sandy alluvions along tlie broad
and comparatively open valley no doubt caused the stream
to forsake this outlet and confine itself to the narrower and
more direct passage in the gap between Mill Rock and East
Rock, where the greater velocity and average fall kept a
channel clear. We have also to bear in mind in seeking an
explanation that the volume of Mill River, as with others,
is no longer as great as it formerly was.
PIOTURESQUE SOEITEBY.
For picturesque beauty and variety of scenery the town
of Hamden can hardly be surpassed. The abrupt termi-
nations of the trap dikes, the smooth flowing surfaces of
sandstone hills, and the level expanse of the alluvial plains
blending with the Sound, all combine to give pictures of
new beauty from each different point of view. The higher
hiUs still wear their covering of primeval forest, which,
though frequently removed by the woodman's axe, springs
up again with renewed vigor, and, if preserved from the
wanton fires of spring and autumn, will long continue to de-
light the eye in summer, and brighten the fireside in winter.
The wonderfully fine views of land and water, of the busy
city, and of the undulating hills and plains of Hamden
which can be had from the slopes and top of East Rock,
are now enjoyed daily by the public. The Farnam drive
affords views which cannot be surpassed for variety and
interest. Other elevations in the town are remarkable also
HI8T0BI0AL AND DE80RIPTIVE. 61
for tlieir attractiveness at all seasons, and the beauty of
the landscape about them. With the inevitable increase of
population and wealth in this town the day is not far dis-
tant when all these rock ridges will be prized for residences
and pleasure resorts. Mt. Carmel and its adjoining ridges,
laiown as the Blue Hills, are extremely inviting and pic-
turesque, and before the end of another century, and per-
haps long before, may become another great public park to
give pleasure and health to thousands yet unborn.
LEGENDS OF THE BLUE HILLS.
The Blue Hills have their legends, and have stirred the
souLg of some of Hamden's sons to poetic eflEort. The rough
resemblance of the sky-line of these hills to the profile of a
man lying on his back has gained for them the name of
" Sleeping Giant."
SELECTIONS FROM THE POEM OF THE ** SLEEPING GIANT,"
By CJias. O. Merriman.
LcngiioB off, Uio contour of his mossivo lioad
Stands boldly out against the azure sky;
He lies serenely In his rock-bound bed.
While rippling streamlets pass him swiftly by.
And when the atmosphere is calm and still,
His form is covered with a robe of blue;
As if the air-sprites would obey his will;
And bring fair colors out of rain and dew.
And though inanimate and devoid of motion,
A thousand forms of life are busy there,
And like a motlier in her true devotion,
He rears them by his tender, brooding care.
And so in his long sleep of countless ages.
Gazing with stony eyes into the sky;
And all devoid of fame on history's pages,
The seasons greet him as they pass him by.
HAMDEN OBNTBNAHY,
They touch him gently with those magic wanda,
The genial sunlight and the summer rain;
And to their touches his huge form responds,
Yielding the rosy fruit and yellow grain.
How many days through all the long, bright summer,
I've sought his winding roads where daisies bloom;
Haunting his wooded sides a joyous comer.
And shouting wildly through his aisles of gloom.
Upon his southern sunny slopes nro growing,
From trelliucHl arbors, acres of the vino;
And in their tender stalks are juices flowing,
Ripening the berry for the fragrant wine.
He makes a home in many secret places.
For the shy partridge and the brooding quail;
Where steps of man have never left their traces.
Or keen-eyed pointers scented out their trail.
From many city streets, his distant outline.
Touches the vision with delicious thrill;
And longing fancies eagerly incline.
Your footsteps onward to his dreamy hill.
He lies there like a knight encased in armor.
And resting on the laurels he has won;
Or like some wandering and foot- weary palmer,
Sleeping serenly in the noonday sun.
As we approach him all his robe of azure,
Slowly dissolves and miDgles with the air:
His drooping neck is but a wide embrasure.
In a deep wall of rocky lodges there.
Again we pass him silently and slowly.
Gazing with awe upon his massive head;
Which rises like some old cathedral holy^
And fills us with a feeling weird and dread.
In all his moods, and through the changing seasons,
In summer's rainfall, and in winter's snow;
I haunt his shades for many untold reasons.
Veiling tlie secret thoughts which come and go.
mSTOBIOAL AND DEaORIPTIYE.
SKETCH OF THE GEOLOGY.
THE NEW RED SANDSTONE.
|HE two principal rock formations of the town are
the trap rock and the red sandstone. These rocks
may be said to f orai the hills. The glacial drift
is but a comparatively thin covering spread irreg-
ularly over these foundation rocks. In the valleys there
are more recent and alluvial deposits.
The ** red rock " of the Hamden hills, so familiar to most
of the residents of the town as the underlying rock of their
lands, is a portion of the new red Sfwidstone formation of
the Connecticut valley. This formation, known to geolo-
gists as the Trias, is later in origin than the coal formation,
and older than the Cretaceous rocks. Its red color is due
to the presence in its substgpce of a large amount of oxide
of iron. This formation, consisting of stratified sandstones,
shales and conglomerates, though originally laid down un-
der water in horizonal layers has since been disturbed, up-
lifted and broken, while through the rifts and rents igneous,
melted, trap rock flowed upwards and outwards. This rock
filled the cavities, and formed thick bunches and masses be-
tween the layers of the sandstone formation, and compara-
tively thin and nearly vertical sheets, called dikes, where the
rents were tmnsverse to the bedding of the sandstones.
These trap intrusions form the well known range of hills
on the west side of the town, terminating in West Rock;
the comparatively isolated bluffs of East Rock, Mill Rock
and Pine Rock at the south end of the town, and the Blue
Hills, or Mt. Carmel range, at the north.
64 HAMDSN OSNTBNART,
METAMOBPHOSBD SANDSTONE.
Portions, however, of these hUls and ranges consist of
masses of indurated sandstone, and conglomerate, hardened
and altered from their original condition by the heated trap
rocks, and the escaping steam and gases which accompa-
nied the trap. We find, for example, that a large part of the
bluffs of Mill Rock is formed of such altered sandstone and
conglomerate, instead of trap rock. The effects produced
upon the sandstone beds by the intrusion of the trap rock
are weU shown at the east end of MiU Rock, where the
road crosses the dike at the daip. The cut for the road
shows the contact of the two. rocks and the alteration of
the te3rtui:e of the sandstone.
Similar effects may be seen in the bluffs along the con-
tact on top of the rock and at the west end, and also at
Pine Rook, and at Mt. Carmel. The sandstone and red
shales are changed in color from red to grey, and they have
at the same time received a change of structure, becoming
laminated in planes parallel with the walls of the trap
dike, and at right angles to the planes of stratification.
GLAOIAL DRIFT DEPOSITS.
Directly overlying the red rock of the hills we find an
abundant accumulation of bowlders, gravel and soil gener-
ally known as the ''drift." It is a confused mixture of
coarse and fine materials irregularly spread over the hills,
in some places much more abundantly than in others, and
occasionally marked by the presence of enormous blocks of
rock, weighing hundreds or even thousands of tons. These
are all erratic blocks, transported by ice, far from their
source, and left behind when the vast ice sheet of the gla-
cial period disappeared by melting. Portions of the drift
have been washed and rolled, redistiibuted and deposited
by torrents flowing from or under the glacier, or formed
during its period of melting. .
HI8T0RI0AL AND J)E80RIP27VB. 65
The farmers of Hamden are familiar with this bowlder
formation, and would be grateful for fewer opportunities
of studying its peculiarities. Every time a field on the
hills is broken up by the plough a new crop of bowlders
is brought to the surface and must be removed. They have
been utilized, as far as possible, for stone walls and build-
ings, but are much more abundant than useful. They are
the chips and fragments left by the great glacial plough,
and, as might be expected, vary in their nature and abund-
ance in dififerent localities; on some of the ridges trap rock
is the prevailing material, and on others there is an equal
or greater amount of hard red sandstone, of even grain,
suitable for building purposes. Such rock is abundant on
the Cheny Hill ridge, while on Mill Kock it is rare, most
of the bowlders consisting of trap rock.
OLAOIATION OF THE REGION.
Tlie bowlders of Mill Rock, turned up from newly cleared
hind, give abundant evidence by their form and surfaces of
having been pushed or shoved, or, at least, carried, for-
ward in nearly straight lines while resting on the bed-rock.
They exhibit two or three more or less flattened and rubbed
surfaces, covered with striations and markings in the direc-
tion of the greatest length of the abraded surface, which
mai'kings are like those seen on the surface of the rocky
floor along which the bowlders moved. Tlie different sur-
faces show that the bowlders were occasionally turned over
in their icy matrix, so as to present a new side to the floor.
They were beyond doubt the gouges or graving points be-
tween the great mass of glacier ice above and the solid bed-
rock along which the glacier moved, carrying these bowlders
along with it. In short, these bowlders have the character-
istic peculiarities of the bottom moraine, or ground
moraine, of glaciers. They occur of all sizes, from pebbles
to masses weighing tons, and are geneiTiUy of trap rock,
though quartz is common, and this quartz shows, in small
9
66 EAMDEN OBNTENABY,
specimens, the many abraded sides better, generally, than
the softer and more easily decomposed trap rock. Quartz,
also, from its extreme brittleness, more frequently exhibits
fracturing, due to movement along the floor under great
pressure.
This ground moraine accumulation differs greatly from
the water- worn and transported drift of torrents and river
beds. The bowlders are not rounded by rolling, they are
shaped by rectilinear abrasion while firmly held in the
plastic ice, as the glazier's diamond is held in its metallic
bed.
The conditions of the rocky floor of this red sandstone
valley were peculiarly favorable to the abundant supply of
material for ground moraine. The comparatively soft shales
and sandstones of the Trias offered little resistance to abra-
sion. Some of the included beds of conglomerate, holding
ancient bowlders of a peculiarly tough and hard quartz, must
have supplied a large amount of abrading material, while the
trap dikes, at intervals, supplied great blocks of rock, as
the softer sandstones were cut away from under and around
them. The heavy bedded intrusions of trap, such as those
of Mt. Carmel, the Meriden Hills and East and West
Rocks, with their columnar structure perpendicular to the
bedding, were in the most favorable positions for being
broken down, piece by piece, as the massive glacier pressed
forward over their summits.
The general rounded contour of the sky-lines of the Blue
Hills and Mt. Carmel are due to the abrading, rounding
action of ice and rocks in the glacial period. The summit
of the mountain shows glaciation distinctly. Broad ex-
posed surfaces of rock are seen to be smoothed down and
abraded just as upon East Rock and other bosses of trap
rock. Glaciation is also found upon any hard and durable
beds of sandstone, not only at Mt. Carmel, but in other
parts of the town, especially where by the intrusion of trap
the rock has been indurated. Pine examples are found
upon Mill Rock.
mSTOmOAL AND DBSOBIPTirS. 67
Besides the ground moraine the glacier transported huge
blocks of rock weighing, in sonoie cases, 1,000 tons or more,
and left them stranded on the hills many miles from their
source. A mass of trap rock of this origin rests upon the
sandstone on the farm of Mr. Davis, north of East Rock,
othoi's n.re found on the Cherry Hill ridge, and in various
l)arts of the town. The great blocks of trap forming the
Judge's cave, had a similar origin probably, having been
transported, according to Professor Dana, from the Hang-
ing Hills of Meriden, sixteen miles distant, or from some
point in the Mt. Tom range, farther north.* They were
probably in one block. It must have been carried across
the intermediate valleys, and stranded at the height of 366
feet. It is now broken, but must have weighed, when en-
tire, at least 1,000 tons.
BIVEB DRIFT— TEBBAOE FOBMATION.
Of stiU later origin than the glacial drift we have the de-
posits of river gravel and sand, the alluvions of ancient and
existing streams, confined chiefly to the lower levels and
the broad plains. The gravel, well rounded by attrition, is
especially abundant along the Mill River valley, and is co-
incident in its extent with the terrace formation seen along
the whole of the lower part of the valley, forming the
plains of Hamden. These plains are of river, or estuary
origin, and are fonned of sandy and gi'avelly deposits,
showing more or less stratification.
The level formation of Hamden plain is attributed, by
Professor Dana, to the action of floods proceeding from the
melting glaciers. The whole formation presents conclusive
evidence of great floods of water. A line of depressions,
many of them basin-shaped, indicating a river channel,
extends from Mill River across to Beaver ponds and West
River. Pot-holes on the borders of MUl River, excavated by
flowing water, give evidence of great currents at high levels.
^American Journal of Scieuce, ni, xxvi, 847.
68 HAMDEN CENTENARY.
There is a fine example of a pot-hole, or "giant's kettle,"
in the hardened sandstone just above the dam at Whitney-
ville, on the south side of the main road and near Day's
store. It is about four feet in diameter and ten feet deep.
Others were found in excavating for the roadway, and are
now filled up.
DEPOSITS OF SAND AND CLAY.
Good, sharp sand, suitable for making mortar with lime,
is found at several points along the course of Mill River,
under the upper layer of round gravel. At Whitneyville,
just west of the pumping works on Armory street, the sand
is very fine and free from pebbles, and forms a thick bed.
Farther north, near the west end of the covered bridge,
there is another sand bank much resorted to. This sand is
much coarser than that at Whitneyville, and requires to be
screened before using. Another bank is found near the
top of the hill above the lake, on the cross road south of
Henry Mather's place.
Pipe-clay, of light color, and great tenacity, is found
in the deep valley of Wilmot Brook, between the West
Rock range and the southern end of Cherry Hill ridge.
This clay was extensively dug, some forty years ago, and
moulded into brick at several yards along the valley. The
clay differs greatly from the red clay of the Quinnipiac
meadows, on the eastern border of the town, being stiffer
to work, more plastic and less sandy. The boggy meadows
in other parts of the town are believed to be underlaid by
deposits of clay.
The borders of the Quinnipiac river are formed of deep
deposits of fine, sandy alluvions, excellent for making
brick. These deposits are stratified in thin layers, and ap-
pear to have been derived from the disintegration of the
finer red shales of the red sandstone formation. The de-
posits have been extensively utilized for the manufacture
of brick.
HiaTORIOAL AND DESOHIPTIVE.
VARIETIES OF SOIL.
The soils within the town limits may be classified in four
chief groups :
1. The gravelly loam of the hills, composed largely of
the glacial drift, mixed in part with the materials from the
decomposing sandstone beds, the clays and shales of the red
sandstone formation. These are, in general, fertile, reten-
tive of moisture and of fertilizers, without being stiflf or cold.
2. The light, sandy and gravelly soils of the plains, com-
paratively free of clay; porous, dry, and requiring frequent
enrichment.
3. The stiflf, wet clay soils of the swampy meadows and
lowlands; better for grass and for grazing than for crops.
4. The dark-colored soils of the trap rock ridges away
from the drift deposits, consisting mostly of leaf mould,
mostly humus, rich brown and nearly black in color, ap-
parently derived from the slow decay of accumulations of
leaves mixed with the fine earthy materials, proceeding
from the weathering of the trap rock.
MIKEBAL DEPOSITS.
No valuable minerals have yet been found in the town in
quantities suflicient to encourage extensive mining opera-
tions. Trap rock for building and paving purposes has
been extensively quarried at Pine Rock and, to some ex-
tent at Mill Hock.
Native copper has been occasionally found in the drift
gmvel deposits of the hills of the town. A mass of copper,
so found, is now preserved in the mineralogical cabinet of
Yale University — Peabody Museum. A specimen from the
vicinity of East Rock was presented to the Yale cabinet
several years ago, by Mr. Eli Whitney Blake.
In Dr. D wight's StatUtical Account of New Haven,
written in 1811, we find the statement, ''copper is still
known to exist in various places in the Hamden Hills, and
attempts have been repeatedly made to sink shafts for the
70 HAMDEN OENTENABT.
purpose of obtaining the copper, but tlie business has never
been prosecuted to effect." * * * *
Mrs. Doolittle relates that her father, Mr. Josiah Todd,
of North Haven, when gathering fruit on the Hamden
Hills, discovered a mass of native copper, weighing about
90 pounds, which he obtained and preserved. It was lying
on the surface of a flat rock, at some places adhering to it,
and even running into its crevices. He, with several other
persons, afterwards sought for more, but as they, by their
own confession, had superstitious fears respecting it, they
probably did not malce a very minute investigation, and no
more was found. This mass passed through several hands,
and was finally obtained by the son-in-law of the discover-
er, a coppersmith, who considered it as very free from alloy,
and used it in the course of his business. Unfortunately
no part of this interesting natural production can now be
obtained, nor is the precise place of its discovery known.
Recently Mr. J. H. Dickerman, who resides on the south
of Mt. Carmel, in making a road up to the summit found a
thin seam or vein of native copper in the trap rock. A few
blasts threw out some small pieces of copper, from one-
eighth to one-quarter of an inch thick, and two or three
inches long. ' It is a tight seam, without vein-stone, and it
is not sufficiently j^romising in its appearance to justify
following it by mining. Such seams were probably the
source of the masses found in the drift of the hills to the
southward; the metal being broken out and transported by
ice. Mr. Dickerman finds several excavations or pits at
different places on the mountains, which were sunk, no
doubt, in search of copper, and there are traditions that
considerable copper has been taken from the mountain,
and that it was coined into cents at the old New Haven
mint. On Ridge Hill, just north of Mt. Carmel, there is a
shaft and a tunnel, excavated in search of copper, by Mr.
Charles Munson, of New Haven. According to Mr. A. W.
Ailing, of the Sheffield laboratory, some of the specimens
of native copper obtained by Mr. Dickerman contain native
silver in grains visible to the eye.
EISTOBIOAL AND DBBORIPTIVB. 71
HISTORY OF MINING IN HAMDEN.
BY J. H. DIOKBRMAN.
|E may reasonably suppose that among the com-
pany who came with John Davenport and Theo-
philus Eaton to settle at New Haven, in 1638,
were some adventurous spirits, whose first de-
sire would be to explore the new domain for mineral
wealth.
The Blue HiUs (as Mt. Carmel was familiarly known un-
til a recent date,) looming up, the highest land seen from
the seacoast, must early have attracted the attention of seek-
ers for treasure, and while little authentic history remains
to tell by whom, or when, the first mines were opened, the
excavations still show that work was done; where veins
containing pure native copper, with a mixture of silver,
were found. Yet tradition fails to tell who were the first
workers.
The name of David Tallman is remembered by our an-
cestors about three generations earlier than the one present
living, and it is known that he mined on what is called
Ridge HiU, rising in the extreme north part of Hamden,
east, and in close proximity to Mill River. It is also af-
firmed that he obtained considerable wealth from the Blue
Hills, where excavations still show that much labor was
expended. Whatever grants or leases that may have been
held by him must be found on records kept previous to the
organization of Hamden, as his name does not appear on
the Hamden records.
From some unexplained cause, much interest must have
been awakened in residents out of the State, in the sup-
posed mineral wealth of our Mt. Carmel.
72 • BAMDEN OENTBNABT,
HINIKa LEASES.
On our land records are no less than twenty-one leases
from owners of land on Mt. Carmel, granting to Charles
Cleavland, of New York city, the right to all minerals,
ores, etc., for considerations enumerated in the leases,
usually a cash payment and a future share of net profits.
These leases were executed in 1849, and were to be inop-
erative if no work was done in five years. Nothing was
accomplished under these leases. In 1864 leases were given
by Sarah Blakeslee and sister, and by Merlin Bradley, to
parties by name of Hubbard, of New York city, for which the
said Hubbard paid in cash two hundred dollars for mining
grants on a certain piece of land, where specimens of native
copper had been obtained. This lease does not appear on
the Hamden land record, but was executed to relapse in
one year after work ceased at the mine. This vein is near
an excavation supposed to have been made by David Tall-
man. Little work was done under the Hubbard lease,
which suffered relapse. Mr. Charles Munson, of New Haven,
in the same year, paid fifty dollars to Wm. D. Hall for a
mining grant covering fifty acres of land, which appears on
our land records, and also took leases from other owners of
land in like manner, but no work ever seems to have been
accomplished under them.
NATIVE COPPER.
Near the top of Mt. Carmel, during the present year of
1887, while making excavations for a road near a ledge of
the trap rock, I discovered a vein containing specimens of
pure native copper. Fortunately, leases are all invalid
which have ever been granted on this property, but there
is much doubt if sufficient quantity exists for successful
mining. It does, however, corroborate the opinion of Mr.
Munson that deposits of pure native copper existj in the
mountain, and also supports the theory of Prof. Shepard
in his report published in 1837, wherein he predicts that
HiaTOBIOAL AND DEaOBIPTJVE. 78
this valley, extending north as far as Granby, will become
celebrated for its mineral wealth. In this connection he.
says : "A mass of pure native copper, weighing about 90'
pounds, was found in Hamden about fifty years ago. It
was attached to a rock by which it had been connected by
metallic veins."
Of the mines in Granby he says : " The precise date at
which these mines were discovered is not known. Their
charter of incorporation is one of the most ancient conferred
in the colonies. It is dated 1709."
The ore taken from this mine is given as ** vitreous cop-
per, yielding about 12 per cent, of pure copper, and worth
in the ore $40 per ton, delivered at Swansea." "Com-
pared with the yield of the Cornwall mines, England, 1816,
which yielded but 7i'^ per cent, copper from the ore, the
mines in the colonies promised, at an early date, so much
importance that commissioners were appointed by the
King's bench as early as 1712, who opened a mine in Ches-
hire on land in the southeast part of the town, from which
two ship loads of ore, it is reported, were sent to England."
tallman's mine.
Prof. Shepard says of Tallman's mine in Hamden, on
what is known as Ridge Hill, near Mt. Carmel : *' Traces
of vitreous copper exist, associated with green malachite,
among the rubbish thrown out from an excavation about fifty
feet deep. An adit was commenced at the foot of the hill,
several hundred feet distant, and carried in above one hun-
dred feet, with a view to strike this shaft." This report
was published in 1837. Since then, Charles Munson, Esq.,
of New Haven, has prosecuted work to the accomplishment
of the above view, having sunk the shaft to the depth of
160 feet, and continued the adit until it connected with it ;
a distance of several hundred feet. Not enough ore was
found to pay for the expense of working. It would seem
that by a review of the mining interests of this valley,
10
74 HAMDBUr OBNTBNABT.
where so much labor and capital haa been expended in the
past two hundred years, that the only known deposits of
pure native copper found have but lately been discovered,
in at least two distinct veins on Mt. Oarmel. Magnetic iron
in nearly a pure state is also found here, and deposits of
iron ore exist in Ridge Hill.
J. G. Percival says, in his report on the geology of the
state : " Native copper is found in seams of the trap in the
northeast part of Mt. Carmel." (Page 400.)
Prof. Shepard says of the Granby mine : "In 1880 the
Phenix Mining company was organized, who purchased the
property of the state. Several shipments of ore were made
by way of the canal to New Haven.*'
Tradition reports that the ore taken from the Cheshire
mine was shipped to England by way of Middletown on the
Connecticut River, involving a land carriage of twenty
miles. Prof. Shepard says of this mine : "It is owned by
Mr. Aaron Bellamy, of Otsego, N. B., who is a descendant
of the individual interested in the first exploration." The
mine has been worked until a recent date, mostly for the
sale of stock in mining offices of Boston and New York.
Mr. Wm. King, who was late superintendent at the mine,
informs me that about $20,000 has been expended for ma-
chinery, and a shaft has been sunk about 600 feet deep."
maroRioAL and dbsoriptivb. 75
FOREST TREES.
BY J. H. DIOKEBMAN.
I BIRD'S eye view from the top of Carmel, of the
twenty-six square miles within our town limits,
reveals to one the fact that native forests still
cover a large part of the soil. We may have
cause for congratulation that so much of the surface is un-
suited for tillage, that no deserts spread their arid sands
within our borders, and wherever the plow has ceased its
work, a few years has re-covered the land with its primeval
growth. It is difficult to compute with exact certainty the
increase of forest growth over fields that were in cultivation
fifty, or more, years ago, but from the fact that large tracts
of land on the eastern part of Carmel, and in other sections,
now covered with forest growth, show evidence of cultiva-
tion, • with remnants of walls and highways, along with
ruins where once were homesteads, prove that while we
celebrate our first centennial, farms where once were cheer-
ful hearths are even now lost in oblivion.
GROWTH ON OLD FIELDS.
It is doubtless safe to estimate that at least one, and pos-
sibly two square miles, have regained forest growth on
abandoned fields. We may also find evidence that by so
doing a larger profit is returned to the owners of the soil,
and the town revenues increased. We need Arbor day to
add shade to our highways, and to plant new forests, as is
found imperative on the western plains for the settler to
find means of sustenance and protection. It has been said
that the eastern lands would never have been settled if the
more fertile western had first been occupied, but a more
76 HAMDBN OBNTENART.
thorough knowledge of the advantages of forest growth,
and the great want entailed by the absence of it, wonld
lead to the conclusion that without the belt of timber which
covered the Atlantic coast, the first adventurers to our con-
tinent would have been unable to gain a foot-hold. With
the first settlement of our town, wood, in different forms,
was the chief article for sale or barter, and it is correct to say
that it is still the great staple for revenue and employment.
MABKET AND VALITB.
There is nothing in our history to denote that to lumber,
or timber alone, has at any time been given special care,
but rather a combination of those interests with material
for fence building, cord wood for the city market, charcoal,
wood specially prepared for the burning of bricks, and last,
but now not least, kindling wood, and home consumption, go
to swell the aggregate to a total sum of no mean proportion.
While the estimates given are based on the present yearly
consumption and sale of forest products, it may be safe to
infer that the sum received is an average of the yearly sales
in different forms during much of the last century.
Prices have been at times much above the present mar-
ket, but it is believed at no time much less than what is
now obtained from a corresponding quality, and judging
from the fact that the supply equals the demand, the year-
ly consumption in different forms may not have varied es-
sentially from the present estimates.
Four water-power mills are devoted exclusively to saw-
ing; one mill run by steam, and three or more worked by
horse-power, reduce wood to stove lengths. Prom these data
we find the present yearly consumption to be about 1,000
cords of kindling wood for New Haven market, and as
many more cords for the city use, in five foot to eight foot
lengths. The present prices obtained, delivered in the city,
ar6 five dollars a cord for soft woods, six dollars a cord for
oak, and seven to eight dollars for hickory.
mSTOBIOAL AND DB8C1UPTIVE. 77
The brick yards receive from our limits yearly about;
2,000 cords, at an average price, at the present date, of four;
dollars a cord, delivered at the yard. Of the amount which •
goes to market in the various forms of piles for wharfage,
hickory and oak lumber and timber, railroad ties, fence
posts and sawed rails, hickory poles for hoops, manuf ao-
ti(red hoops, and all other forms, it is difficult to more than
approximate the correct amount.
ESTIMATES OF CONSUMPTION.
This should also include trees sold for street shade, and
something added for the yearly sale from nut-bearing trees,
which together may represent a. sum of $3,000. Following
the above estimate is the large amount of home consump-
tion, in all forms, for bridges, buildings, fences and fuel.
The estimated capacity of 200 families' consumption, at
ten cords each, and 500 families to consume but five cords,
requires 4,500 cords yearly. This is all grown in our town,
and what is sold to the consumer will average four dollars
a cord. The farmer may think this a high price for his
own fuel, but would pay that price if not of his own growth.
Some farmers have given me their figures as varying from
twenty to thirty cords consumed in single families during
the year ; that makes it reasonable to infer the above esti-
mate is below, rather than above the amount consumed.
Our factories also require 100 cords yearly. The footing
from the above estimates exceeds $40,000 annually received
from our woodlands, including labor required to place it in
market. If in the past 100 years $4,000,000 have been re-
ceived from our woodlands, our hills and valleys with their
perpetual growth acquire increased evidence of value.
Some of our townsmen now living remember the price of
wood sixty years ago, when twenty or more cords a day
passed over one road to the city, and found ready market
at eight dollars a cord. At that date there was a common
opinion, often expressed, that the supply of wood would
soon be exhausted.
78 HAMDBJtr OEIfTEIfAItT.
At this day but little forest land is cleared, after removing
a growth of twenty to forty years' standing, at an average
yield of one cord per acre for each year of thrifty growth.
SZHAUSnON OF THE SOIL.
This growth of hickory wood will have absorbed from
the soil seventy pounds of ash to each cord, yielding four
ponnds of potash; oak contains but twenty-five pounds
ash, giving two pounds of potash; chestnut, eight pounds
of ash, giving only one-third of a pound of potash per cord;
birch, fifty-one pounds of ash, yielding four pounds of i)ot-
ash. This gives conclusive proof that forest growth ex-
hausts the soil, to a great extent, of the nutriment required
in cultivated crops, and that if forest land is cleared and
put under cultivation, it is in no better condition than our
tilled fields, without the aid of artificial manures.
It will be seen that chestnut draws much less from the
soil than hard woods, while the growth is more rapid, and
in many ways of equal or greater value. The white ash is
a free grower, and if cared for to remove branches when
grovring, so as to give a trunk of clear lumber, is one of our
most valuable woods. The white birch may also rejmy
care, as its lumber is of the highest value when well grovni,
and the growth is rapid.
A white birch tree, which had grown on an abandoned
field, was sawed at the root, where it measured eighteen
inches in diameter, and gave forty feet in length sufficiently
large for sawing into plank, which sold readily at four
centa a foot If an acre grew but 200 such trees in forty
years, the value would be no less than $1,200.
PROTBOnON PROM UOHTKIKO.
A tall tree near a building is an acknowledged protector
against lightning. A white elm, which had attained the
height of eighty feet in seventy years, received a heavy
shock in July, 1869. The buildings near were doubtless
BISTORIOAL AND jDESOMPTJTBI. W
saved by the tree, but the tree succumbed to the stroke
after a few years, and was removed. It was five feet in,
diameter at the base, and contained not less than five cords
of wood. Many of the yearly growths were three-fourths
of an inch in diameter, making one and a half inches a year
on the two sides of the tree. This must have had a total
weight of no less than ten tons, which had been acquired at
an average rate of 142 pounds a year, but as the first years'
growth were comparatively slow, and later growth more
rapid, it is safe to infer that 600 pounds a year were added
when it was spreading a circle of five feet diameter, with
three-fourths inch yearly growth.
CULTIVATION OF FOREST TREES.
No attempt at cultivation of forest trees for timber
growth has been made in this town, but investigation shows
that it may be done with profit. Doubtless one of the best
trees to grow is the common chestnut. The nuts may be
preserved by packing in leaves, or dry sand, till spring, for
planting in nursery rows, or plant in hills where the trees
are to be grown.
One thousand trees on an acre will leave ample space be-
tween them for cultivation, which should be carefully given
in the earlier growth. I iind, by measure, the average
growth of chestnut to be one-fourth inch yearly, in concen-
tric layers, which represents one-half inch in diameter.
The circles are added with remarkable uniformity of
growth, showing great gain after the tree attains one foot
or more in diameter. A plantation of chestnut trees would,
in thirty to forty years, represent a value of more than one
doUai' a tree for railroad ties or other uses, which is $1,000
an acre. Suppose the land worth twenty dollars at the
tune of planting, and that amount to double three times in
forty years at interest, we have only $160 against the $1,000
in the tree cultivation. It may seem that 1,000 trees will
crowd closely on one acre, but more than six feet will inter-
80 HAMDEN OSNTENAMT.
vene between each, and trees often attain large size which
stand much closer.
It may be observed that in native forests large spaces of
ground are unoccupied, and where a growth comes by
sprouting from a stump they are much crowded in the
cluster.
Hickory and chestnut trees have been transplanted with
success by Whitney Elliott, Esq. He has also succeeded in
grafting the hickory on its native stock, and now has a
grafted tree which bears nuts of excellent quality.
It would appear, by investigation into the comparative
growth and value of forest products, that we are overlook-
ing one of our best sources of revenue by allowing so much
land to lie idle, or reclothe itself in trees, when care will so
much more rapidly and profitably enhance its value. We
have now in the town about 7,000 acres of woodland, the
yearly value of products of which equal, or exceed, any
other single article of agricultural growth, and this wood-
land maintains itself without care, and under the most se-
vere treatment and neglect. The next century may, and
should, exhibit a change in the method of care of wood-
lands that will bring better returns.
The prominent and chief causes that militate against for-
est culture are, late frost in spring, depredations of 'lo-
custs," and fires.
It may be worthy of record that on the night of May
39th, 1884, the thermometer fell to twenty-six degrees.
The new growth of forest trees, which had been rapid, was
nearly all killed. Fruit trees, like apple, peach, cherry,
etc., were uninjured. The injury to forest trees did not
extend in altitude above 150 feet from the valleys.
"Locusts," the cicada septemdecim^ deposit their eggs
in young growing branches, causing them to break off and
fall, thus retarding the development of the tree. But this
pest comes extensively only once in seventeen years, but it
infiicts considerable damage on growing timber. As with
an untimely frost, there is no remedy, unless spraying with
solution of poison would kill the pest.
mBTORIOAL AND DBBORIPnVB. 81
Forest fires destroy more than other injuries combined,
and annually become more frequent. They are extremely
difficult to guard against, and are generally started by boys,
in wanton mischief. Strict enforcement of the law against
trespass may be the best preyentive, as in most cases fires
are originated by trespassers. The damage done to growing
timber by fire is incalculable, and is far-reaching in its
effects.
Woodlands serve the farmer's interests by protection
from winds and storms to such an extent that it is impossi-
ble to estimate the benefit derived from this source. The
autunm gathering of leaves is highly appreciated, where
available, and if saved from an acre of forest, will doubtless
equal the value of an acre of rye straw for the farmer's
stables. This can be more readily done in a forest planted
in regular lines than in native growth, where underbrush
occupies much of the land, and obstructs the gathering.
Following is a list of most of the native varieties of trees
found in our town limits.
KATIVS VABIETIES OF FOREST TREES.
Quercusalba, White Oak.
Q. rubra. Red Oak.
Q. — , Rock Oak.
Q. ilicifolia, Scrub Oak.
Q. palustris. Pin Oak.
Fraxinus Americana, Wliito Asli.
F. Bambucif olia, Black Asli.
F. pubescens, Red Ash.
Populus alba, White Poplar.
Tilia Americana, Basswood.
Liriodendron Tulipifera, Tulip tree, or White wood.
Castanea vesca, Chestnut.
Juglans cinera. Butternut.
Caryaalba, Hickory, Shag-bark.
0. microcarpa, Hickory, Small-fruited.
0. tomcoitosa. Hickory, White-heart.
0. porcina, Hickory, Pig-nut.
0. amara. Hickory, Bitter-nut.
Sassafras officinale. Sassafras.
11
EAMBEN OBNTBNABT.
Betula lenta, Black Birch.
B. Lutea, Gray Birch.
B. alba, yar. populifolia, White Birch.
Acer saccharinum, Sugar Maple.
A, rubrum, Soft Maple.
Nyssa multiflora, Pepperidge; Black Oum.
Abies OanadenBis, Hemlock.
Platanus occidentaliB, Buttonwood.
Morus alba, White Mulberry.
M. rubra, Red Mulberry.
Juniperus communis, Juniper.
Salix alba, White Willow.
8. liyida, yar. occidentalis.
S. discolor, Pussy Willow.
Oorylus Americana, Hazel-nut.
Amelanchier Canadensis, Shad-beny.
Dirca palustria. Moose-wood.
Prunus serotina, Wild Cherry.
P. Yirginiana, Choke Cherry.
Rhus typhina, 1
R. glabra, V Sumach.
R., copallina, J
R. yenenata. Poison Sumach.
R. Toxicodendron, Poison Ivy; "Mercury."
Comus florida. Dogwood.
Hamamelis Yirginica, Witch Hazel.
Ostrya Virginica, Iron wood; Hop Hornbeam.
Carphius Americana, Blue Beech; Hornbeam.
Fagus ferruginea, American Beech.
Ulmus Americana, White Elm.
U. fulva. Red Elm.
Sambucus Canadensis, Elder.
S. pubens, Red Berried Elder.
Alnus serrulata. White Alder.
mSTORIOAL AND DE80RIPTIVS.
AGRICULTURE.
BY J. n. DIOKBBHAK.
|N 1766 a deed was executed by Ralph Isaacs to
Jason Bradley, Jr., for thirty acres of land, for
the consideration of forty pounds lawful money.
Said land was a part of the farm now owned and
occupied by Enos Dickerman, Esq,, in the northwestern
part of the town. A few years later a deed was given Rus-
seU Ives, of land at one dollar an acre.
About the year 1818 prices of farm produce were: For
beef cattle $4 a hundred weight; dressed hogs were worth
$12 per hundred weight; steers, one year old, were worth
$4 to $6 a head; sheep about $1 each. An extra good pair
of four-year-old working cattle sold for $100. Pigs six
weeks old sold at six cents a pound, live weight.
Wheat sold at $1 a bushel; rye $1 a bushel; com 75 cents.
The price of a day's labor was 50 cents, or, including team,
$1 a day. Com was raised for export and shipped to the
West Indies.
OOBN AND OOKN MEAL.
The present site of the Mount Carmel Axle works at the
dalle of 1825 was a grist mill, in possession of James Wyles,
and contained a dry kiln for preparing com meal for mar-
ket. Lucius Ives, Esq., now a resident of the town, at the
date named above, drove an ox team daily from the mill to
New Haven, carrying a load of three hogsheads of meal,
each weighing about 1,000 pounds.
Mr. Ives is of the opinion that this amount was the daily
product of the mill for shipment, for about six months of
the year, and was aU, or nearly aU, grown in the town
84 HAMDEN OEKTENABJ,
limits. Some, however, may have been brought to the mill
from adjoining towns, as this was the only mill for this
section with a dry kiln to prepare meal for foreign market.
This has a greater significance when contrasted with the
present custom in vogue of receiving large shipments of
grain for home consumption.
Land was prepared for planting com by forming a ridge
with two furrows, leaving the width of one furrow between
the rows, which was afterward plowed to the adjoining
ridge. Com was planted with the aid of a hoe, at distances
of four feet, allowing three stalks to grow in each hill.
The expense in time of cultivating an acre was somewhat
as given below:
For plowing one acre with ox team 1 day
One man to plant one acre 2 days
<f « « hoeoneacre, flrsthoeiag 8 days
•• •* •♦ " •* " seoondhoeing 2days
'♦ *• " '• *• " third hoeing 2 days
Three plowings for hoeing one acre, with team 1 day
Average product, forty bushels ears of com.
Cost of husking com, one cent a bushel of ears.
We find the cost of raising com to have been from $6 to
$10 an acre, for a crop of twenty bushels of com.
Indian com has always been a favorite and essential crop
in Hamden. The yield per acre may be said to average forty
bushels. In 1878 Mr. Geo. W. Bradley sent to the Paris
Exposition a remarkably fine specimen of com in the stalk
and ear in one plant, root and stalk, bearing nineteen fully
develoi)ed ears. This was grown from seed known as
"Blunt's Prolific," obtained from A. E. Blunt of East
Tennessee through Judge FuUerton of New York. It was
much admired in the agricultural exhibit of the United
States and received Honorable Mention from the judges.
Hay was not raised for a market crop, and rye straw had
no commercial value. Potatoes were only grown for home
use. Much of the cloth was of home manufacture. A mill
for the preparation of cloth was then in existence near the
site of the grist mill above located. Not much care seems
mSTORIOAL AND DESORIPTIVS. 86 .
to have been given to enriching the land. Commercial fer-
tilizers were unknown, and home made manures poorly \
appreciated. Forest lands were cleared and planted in com,
or sowed to rye; the same crops alternating so long as the
yield proved remunerative.
HORSES AND OATTLB.
The first Grand list which is now with the town records
is under date of 1844. One hundred and ninety-seven
horses were assessed at $6,045, which is an average value of
$30.68 cents each. Neat cattle, to the number of 1,208,
were valued at $20,036 ; being an average value of $16.68
cents each; 668 sheep, valued at $1 each.
The Grand list of 1886 gives: 606 horses, valued at
$36,950, average value nearly $60 each; 1,124 neat cattle,
valued at $26,924, average value a little above $22 each.
Sheep do not retain a separate list, but included with
swine are valued at $391, which is believed to be nearly all
for swine, as scarcely a flock of sheep is known to be now in
the town. The value of sheep now would be no less than
$2 each; which shows that we submit to a loss of more than
$1,300 in sheep husbandry. To offset this we legalize the
keeping of 200 dogs, and receive therefrom $1 each to the
town treasury.
We find horses have largely increased in number, and
nearly doubled in average value.
Little can be said of distinguished excellence in breeding
neat cattle or horses, to the present date. Several herds of
blooded cattle have, at different tiihes, been established,
but our farmers have failed to avail themselves of the ben-
efits which might accrue by closer application to and study
of its merits. Increased attention is at present given to
rearing horses, the ultimate result of which can be described
hereafter.
The number of cattle has decreased, and average value
but slightly increased, while the long teams of oxen, num-
bering 120 yoke, which formerly graced the county fairs
86 HAMDSN OBNTBNABT.
from our town, are now unknowii. The production of milk
for the city market has increased the number of cows, and
horses perform most of the work which fell to the lot of the
patient ox. A change in tools and machines, with modes
of labor which are better performed by horses, has no doubt
hastened the change; for mowing machines, hay rakes and
riding plows have taken the place of scythes, hand rakes
and the hand plow. We may note that changes in mode of
tilling the soil have come with new inventions for accom-
plishing the work.
To Hamden belongs the credit of the first residence of D.
W. Shares, whose inventions brought radical changes in
the cultivation of potatoes, and his coulter harrow has been
the basis of most other improvements in that line. His
machines under patents dated 1857, and his implements,
have gone to all parts of the continent.
FEBTILIZEBS.
The town of Hamden may also claim what credit belongs
to the first great advance in manufacturing fertilizing ele-
ments. The Menhaden fish were first successfully treated
for the production of oil, and the remaining parts as a fer-
tilizer, by Wm. D. Hall, in 1856, at the old location of the
Quinnipiac company. What then went begging a market
is now the recognized standard of sources of nitrogen. We
may also mention that the heaviest vegetable growth from
vines, which is on record, was a pumpkin, weighing 280
pounds, which with another product of 1,200 pounds from
one vine, graced our first town fair, held in 1862, and from
thence received from Orange Judd sweepstake premiums to
the amount of $40, at his exhibition held in New York.
The use of fertilizers has continued to increase during the
past thirty years. It is estimated that not less than 600
tons a year are purchased in this town, which cost the
farmers more than $15,000. In addition to this we buy
large quantities of com and breadstufls, and export noth-
EIBTOBIOAL AND DB80JUPTIVB. 87
ing. The census returns give hay as our largest produc-
tion, which it places at upwards of 3,000 tons. We may
also record great increase in fruit culture, and that the
year of 1886 was of unparalleled abundance for apples.
Twenty-five cents a bushel was paid at the railroad depot
for shipping of good frtiit, while apples were delivered at
mills for four cents a bushel.
Apple pomace, when pressed without straw, has become
of recognized value for feeding stock, superior to all roots
except potatoes, which should ensure more care in preserv-
ing it, than has yet been bestdwed.
VITICULTURE.
Grapes may become a leading industry, but this industry
is yet in its infancy. Enough has been done to prove that
our hillsides facing south are well adapted to vines, and
that their culture can be made a success. Mildew and rot,
which have destroyed so many vineyards south and west,
have never seriously affected our hillsides, and we may
reasonably expect immunity from their ravages.
TOBACCO CULTURE.
Tobacco was first cultivated by Jared Atwater about
1854. In 1866 or 1867, Orrin Crowley and J. H. Dickerman
each raised about one acre of tobacco. The quality was
good, and full average yield, but want of profit lay in the
market. After casing and storing one year we sold it in
New York at prices not exceeding ten cents a pound.
Not much was grown till 1864. In. that season Mr. J. J,
Webb planted four acres and built a bam for drying. Wm.
Dickerman's crop, raised that season, required the construc-
tion of a bam fifty feet long. Hamden planters always
missed a good market. Buyers from Hartford county sel-
dom came among them. Twenty cents a pound was about
the best price obtained, and the crop seldom sold so high.
The last crop was raised about 1870. Doubtless the cost of
HAMDBN OBNTENAMT.
growing and handling was muoh in excess of proceeds.
The proximity to sea water causes the leaf to thicken, and
white vein usually lessened the value of the leaf. But the
great want was buyers to handle and cure the crop.
There will be no inducement at present for a revival of the
culture of tobacco.
PEAOH OTJLTTJBB.
Peaches flourished in Hamden until about 1860. The
^^ yellows" attacked trees which came from nurseries, and
no measures were instituted to overcome the disease.
Peaches thenceforward were mostly known only in remem-
brance of the past. Some favored localities, prominent
among them is the high ridge west of Hamden Plains, and
extending north through West Woods, have continued to
produce peaches nearly every year. Some farmers have
realized sales which would give credit to orchards in the
peninsula. Mr. Geo. Northrop states he received $108 for
a single load of peaches which he marketed from the farm
of Julius Gorham in 1862. The load contained twenty-five
crates and twenty-five baskets. Some of that season's crop
weighed twelve ounces each.
Doubtless the greatest influence retarding peach growth,
. has been high prices for other products which were more
certain in their yield. Low prices in other commodities
have again directed attention to peach raising, as the de-
mand is always large. When we know how many failures
occur in the Delaware section of peach growing, and the
care necessary there to insure success, we may feel much
confidence here if we know and make use of the needed
conditions. Native peaches have sold this season for |2^
a basket to be resold, with the oflfer of the same price
daily, for twenty baskets of fruit. Such are the capabilities
of our town for growing peaches. In 1855 Mr. Wm. Church
furnished trees for many farmers in this town on condition
that Mr. Church should receive one-half the crop for nine
years. It is thought he furnished ten thousand or more
HiaTOBIOAL AND DE80RIPTIVE.
trees. The year 1860 showed a large crop, estimated equal
to one hundred baskets to the acre. The requisite fertiliz-
ing elements for the peach may be found in hard wood
ashes, applied liberally to the land. Particular care is re-
quired to keep out the borer or wormifrom the tree. Salt
strewn around the tree at the roots and just below the soil,
is said to be an excellent preventive and was used with
excellent results at Cherry Hill by Mrs. M. E. Mix forty
years ago.
DAIRY.
Griswold I. Gilbert, Esq. , reports that in 1840 he was milk-
ing seventy quarts milk a day, which sold at the farm for
three cents a quart during the summer, and was delivered
in the city at five cents ; six cents was the winter price at
retail. William Bradley was earlier in the business, com-
mencing probably about 1830, but the daily average of milk
from the town in 1840 did not exceed four hundred quarts,
supplied by a few farmers near the city.
The present year of 1886, Mr. W. Benham gives a list of
twenty-six different parties carrying milk to the city, aggre-
gating very nearly six thousand quarts daily, at a retail
price of six cents in summer to eight cents in winter, with
the wholesale price at the farm at two and a half cents to
three and a half cents a quart, embracing the whole town
for the supply.
A new industry has this year been begun in New Haven
to separate cream by the centrifugal process. The company
sell their butter at thirty-six cents retail price, and pay for
milk three cents and four cents a quart summer and winter.
The milk delivered to them is subject to inspection and must
contain twelve and one-half per cent, solids. Milk which
does not bear this test is rejected.
No particular breed of cows is retained by milkmen.
Those in use are mostly from native cattle bred to grades
of Shorthorn or Holstein stock.
12
90 HAMDEN OENTENART,
OHBRRY AND MULBERRY TREES.
In 1775 Benj. Douglass, by profession a lawyer, planted
an orchard of sixty-four cherry trees just outside of the
New Haven town limits near East Eock, all of grafted
trees. This was upon the red-rock ridge overlooking the
Quinnipiac valley on the farm known for a long time as the
Hubbard farm.
The people of the town paticipated to some extent in the
celebrated morns multixiauUs excitement. Barber says
that in 1836 upwards of one hundred acres of land were
under preparation for raising mulberry trees at a point
about three miles north of New Haven. The editor of this
history well remembers helping to pick mulberry leaves at
that date to feed silk worms reared by his grandmother,
Mrs. Mary E. Mix, in the garret of the old house at Cherry
Hill. A goodly supply of large yellow cocoons resulted,
from which siUt of excellent quality was reeled and spun.
The worms throve upon the leaves of the ordinary white
mulberry. Considerable silk was also made on the north
slope of Mill Rock on the farm now owned by Mr. C. P.
Augur. Reference is made in another part of this volume
to the earlier efforts to produce silk.
EiaTORIOAL AND DEBOBIPTIVE. 91
PUBLIC WORKS.
CHESHIRE BOAD.
jHE old Cheshire road or "Long Lane,'* as a part
of it seems to have been called in early times, has
always been the principal thoroughfare of Ham-
den. It was laid out in 1686 and again in 1722,
and is the prolongation of Dixwell avenue of New Haven,
leading out of Broadway. It follows the best route for a
road, being upon the natural and easy grade of the New
Haven and Hamden plain, thus avoiding the hills and
depressions of the other roads leading northward. The
earliest roadway in this direction, from the New Haven
center, appears to have been the ** way to the Plains," and
it is supposed to have first been in the neighborhood of
the present Canal street or Ashmun street, of New Haven.
The following extracts from the Proprietors' Records of
New Haven, wiU show the successive steps taken to secure
a road northward over the plain, and to Parmington and
Cheshire.
ROAD OR WAY TO THE PLAINS.
In 1641 The General Court of the Colony ordered : •
"TIiatMr. Robt. Newman, Mr. Francis Newman, Thomas
Mounson, and Adam Nichols shall view the com" [common]
way to the Plains and afterwards it is to be ordered so as
may be most comodious for the publique good."
Before the town of Cheshire was organized the road ap-
pears to have been known as the " Parmington Road."
93 HAMDBN 0ENTENAR7.
FARMINGTON ROAD.
Under the date of December, 1686, we read in the
Records :
** The road or way to Farmington begins at the Common
near the house of Jno. Johnson and continues where it is
leading to the place called Shepherd's Plain and so on to
end of West woods and so forward to end of our bounds
and to be six rods wide."
Again, we find the following report of the layout :
February 19, 1721-22. **We whose names are under-
written according to an act of the town aforesaid have done
according to the best of our discretion in bounding of and
marking oflf Farmington Road through New Haven bounds,
beginning upon the western line of Whitehead's lot ex-
tending six rods over to Gilbert's north line, then a station
between Whitehead's lot and Sackett's set off six rods west,
then from Sackett's north bounds west six rods from thence
in a direct course near where the path now is up to the
Steps, from thence where the path now is until it is north
of Lt. Miles' s lot, then easterly extending over the river,
then strikes upon Miles' s north line and is northward then
until it meets with Wallingford highway by Daniel An-
drews' farm." *
This route was that which had the fewest natural obstacles
and was comparatively free from the bowlders which are
found in all the new roads on the hills. It required but
little working as the soil was, for the greater part of the
distance in the town, sandy and gravelly.
This Cheshire road until the completion of the Hartford
and New Haven turnpike was the main road out of New
Haven leading to Hartford and Boston. Long before Mr,
Ives, of Mt. Carmel, was engaged in the business of freight-
ing goods to Boston, using presumably, a part of the Chesh-
*See page 844, of copy of Proprietors* Record, 1684-1765.
niSTOmOAL AND DESOjRIPTIVB.
ire road, an exclusive grant liad been given, in 1714, of the ;
business of freighting for a period of seven years. This
grant, made by the General Court of the Colony, was in
the following terms : ** This Assembly do grant to Captain
John Munson, of New Haven, that in consideration he hath
first been at the cost and charge to set up a wagon to pass
and transport passengers and goods between Hartford and
New Haven which may be of great benefit and advantage
to the Colony in general ; that he, said John Munson, shall
have and enjoy to him, his executors, administrators, and
assigns, the sole and only privilege of transporting persons
and goods between the towns aforesaid, during the space of
seven years next coming; provided that it shall and may be
lawful for any person to transport his own goods or any of
his family in his own wagon, anything in this grant to the
contrary hereof notwithstanding. ' '
He was required to make monthly trips, starting on the
first Monday of every month except December, January,
February and March, and to drive with all convenient des-
patch to Hartford and to return to New Haven in the same
week, * * bad weather and extraordinary casualties excepted,
on penalty of ten shillings each neglect."
\
HARTFORD AND NEW HAVEN TURNPIKE.
The Hartford and New Haven Turnpike Company was
incorporated in 1798. The road extended from Grove
street in New Haven, along Whitney avenue, and crossed
the lake just above the dam at Whitneyville by the same
covered truss bridge which now spans the channel of the
narrow part of the lake higher up, and was thence extended
northward through the town, being the same main road now
used from the east side of Wliitney Lake to Centerville and
beyond. It is pi-actically the prolongation of Whitney
avenue, though its course at Whitneyville has of necessity
been much changed in consequence of raising the height
of the water of the lake. The grade of the old turnpike can
04 EAMDBN OENTBNABT,
still be seen on the north shote of the lake a little above
the dam.
The layout and construction of this turnpike road was
opposed by the town, and in the records for the year 1798,
we find the following :
Voted: That all reasonable and probable means by way of
remonstrance before the General Assembly, to be holden at
Hartford, in October next, be made use of to prevent the
road lately laid out from New Haven to Hartford, so far as
the same respects this town.
Voted: That Mr. Josiah Eoot be Agent for this town to
oppose the aforesaid road, as it relates to this towne, with
or without counsel, as he shall judge most conducive to the
benefit and general good of |;he same.
OIIESiriUE TURNPIKE COMPANY.
The Cheshire Turnpike Company was chartered in 1800.
This road connected with the New Haven and Hartford
turnpike at WhitneyviUe.
The town records show that this turnpike also became
very unpopular with the town people, as may be seen from
the following extracts:
August, 1803. At a special town meeting legally warned
and convened on account of the Cheshire turnpike gate
near Mt, Carmel meeting house in Sd Hamden, Mr. Alvan
Bradley was chosen moderator.
Voted: The Selectmen be directed to move the fence of
the old Cheshire road near the above said turnpike gate, all
except the four rods laid out for the turnpike.
Voted: To rescind the above vote.
Voted: That the Selectmen are directed to call on the
president and directors of the Cheshire Turnpike Company
and request them to remove the turnpike gate, within ten
days, oflf from the old road, if not the town has ordered the
mSTOmOAL AND DE80RIPTIVB. 06
Selectmen to remove all but the four rods that the Assem- ;
bly granted for the said turnpike.
Aug. 15. — Voted: That the Selectmen oJE the town of
Hamden are directed to proceed immediately and clear and
keep cleared the old road of the fence erected by the Chesh-
ire Turnpike Company near Hezekiah Dickerman's, so far
as the said fence is not in the four rods granted to said turn-
pike company by the Assembly and the said Selectmen are
hereby indemnified in their said doings and the vote passed
the last town meeting respecting the said fence is hereby
rescinded and annulled.
Sept. 19.— Voted: That a petition be presented to the
General Assembly praying a removal of the Cheshire turn-
pike gate established in this town so that the inhabitants
can have the use of their old roads free of toll, or relief in
some other manner, and the Selectmen are hereby directed
to draw said petition and to subscribe it in the name and
behalf of the town.
FAKMINGTON OANAL COMPANY.*
This company was chartered in 1822, but the canal was
not commenced until 1825, and was not completed until
1830. The subscription books were opened in New Haven
in 1823, and the first meeting of stockholders was held in
July. It was estimated that the canal could be made for
$420,698.88, exclusive of land damages. A survey of the
route was made by Judge Benjamin Wright, of New York,
and his son Henry Wright.
The construction was begun in 1825, under the superin-
tendence of James Hillhouse, with Davis Hurd as chief
engineer, and Henry Farnam as assistant engineer.
^liis notice is compiled from tlie pamplilet entitled:
"An Account of the Farmington Canal Company; of the Hampahire and
Hampden Canal Company and of the New Haven and Northampton Company
till the Suspension of its Canals in 1847." Bvo., pp. 24; New Haven^ 1850^
06 HAMDEN OBNTENABT.
In May, 1826, the stockholders voted to blend the stock
of the company with that of the Hampshire and Hampden
Canal company.
After a period of financial embarrassment the company
was enabled, in 1832, to prosecute its work by a subscrip-
tion of $100,000 made to its capital stock by the City Bank
of New Haven, the bank having received its charter on the
condition of making this subscription.* In the next year,
1833, the company obtained a loan of $60,000 from individ-
uals in New Haven, Northampton and other places on the
line of the canal, and New York city. Mr. Henry Famam
was the chief engineer, and the canal was finished to the
Connecticut River in 1835.
But misfortune followed the enterprise, and extraordin-
ary efforts were required to keep the canal in operation.
At a meeting held in New Haven, October 27, 1836, a plan
of reorganization was adopted, and a new company was
formed, and a charter of incorporation was obtained from
the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts. This new
company was known as the
NEW HAVEN AND NORTHAMI^ON COMPANY.
The whole amount of new capital paid in was $216,112.39,
of which $145,927.47 was paid with debts, leaving a cash
capital of $120,184.92. The canal was navigated from tide-
water to the Connecticut River at Northampton for boats
carrying from twenty to twenty-five tons burden through
the business season of the years 1836, 1837 and 1838. The
company soon spent its capital and was involved in debt.
The amount expended by the company from 1836 to Jan-
uary 1840 in taking possession of the canals and managing
and keeping them in repair, and for all disbursements for
the canals was $181,367.67. The receipts for tolls and from
all other sources was $39,199.62. This makes a loss of
$142,187.46, from which deduct the cash capital, $120,184.92,
and there remained a debt against the company of
$22,002.63. To the loss suffered by the two original com-
mSTOmOAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. 97
panies of $1,039,041.62 we must add the loss suffered by the ;
New Haven and Northampton company of $238,114.92,
making a total of $1,377,156.53 lost up to the year 1840.
From 1840 to 1846 the canal was operated by the aid of a
yearly payment from the city of New Haven, for the use of
the water, and by the proceeds of assessments upon the
shareholders to meet the deficiency. The cost of operating
and ordinary repairs was met by the receipts; but the ex-
traordinary repairs were very heavy, and in 1843 a violent
flood damaged the works to the extent of $20,000. In 1845
the attention of the owners was turned towards building a
railroad to take the place of the canal. At the suggestion
of the superintendent, Mr. Henry Famam, a survey was
made by Mr. Alexander C. Twining. At a meeting of stock-
holders in February, 1846, it was voted that the directors
be authorized and directed to petition the Legislature for
power to build a railroad to take the place of their canal.
A charter was granted for this purpose by the Legislature.
Work was commenced January, 1847, and the road was
opened to Plainville January 18, 1848. The canal was kept
open for navigation throughout the season, and until the
railroad was ready to take its place.
Although the business had increased from the year 1840
onward the extraordinary expenses were so heavy that the
loss in operating and repairing amounted to $101,268.56
which, added to the total loss up to 1840, makes a total of
$1,478,426.10.
But it is fair to subtract from this the value of the canal
to the New Haven and Northampton company in the con-
struction of the railroad, which in lessening the damages
for land, the cost of grading, and the expense of transpor-
tation, may be estimated at about $180,000. The value of
the canal property in New Haven was also estimated at
$203,000.
The route of the canal was through the central part
of the town, near to the old Cheshire road. It pre-
sented a gay appearance about the year 1838, when a new
18
98 EAMDBN OBNTBNABT.
line of fast packet boats was put on, expressly fitted up for
the accommodation of passengers. These boats were gaud-
ily painted, and had knife-like projections at the prow ap-
parently to cut the tow lines of the slow-going freight
boats. The trip to Northampton was made in twenty-six
hours.
The "old canal" soon became well stocked with small
fishes, and was much resorted to by the boys of that period
for ** roaches," "shiners," cat fish and eels, these with the
grass from the towpath appear to have been the chief div-
idends to stockholders. The canal was destined to be
superseded by a railway.
NEW HAVEN AND NORTHAMPTON RAILROAD.
In 1846 an act was passed to incorporate the Farmington
Canal railroad, and in 1847 trains were running through
Hamden from New Haven to Cheshire, following the tow-
path of the old canal, and so near to the traveled road and
dwellings as to be dangerous, and a nuisance to the town.
Through the efforts of some of the public spirited and
energetic residents, the route of the road was changed
so as to avoid the highway as much as possible, by
locating the road further east, at a great expense to the
company and a cost of $14,000 to the town. This enabled
the company to secure a much more direct route into the
city and a more uniform favorable grade, at the same time
avoiding many road crossings on a level with the track.
CONSOLIDATED ROAD TO HARTFORD AND SPRINGFIELD.
The Legislature was memorialized in 1833 by James
Brewster and others for a railroad from New Haven to
Hartford, and in 1836 the road had been located for the
first eighteen miles, to Meriden. The route for a few miles
skirts the southeastern borders of the town, and is now a
part of the route from New York to Springfield and Boston.
HIBTOBIOAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. 99
The New York and New Haven railroad was incorporated
in 1844. The preliminary surveys were made by A. C.
Twining. The first stockholders held a meeting May 19,
1846. The road was opened for travel January 1, 1849, on
a single track. Consolidated with the New Haven and
Hartford road in 1872.
NEW HAVEN WATER COMPANY.
The main supply of water for the city of New Haven is
obtained from Hamden. The great storage reservoir,
Whitney Lake, occupies the valley of Mill River, north of
Mill Rock, for two miles or more. The stream has a water
shed of over fifty-six square miles and affords a daily
amount the year round of 120,000,000 gallons. One-tenth
part of this amount was taken as the basis of calculation of
the supply of the water works, or 12,000,000 gallons, which
is considered the extreme least flow of the river.
According to the report of the engineer, Mr. A. C. Twin-
ing, the least quantity of water flowing in Mill River in
twenty-four hours is eleven and two-thirds millions of gal-
lons, and of the Quinnipiac twenty-two and one-third mil-
lions of gallons.
The New Haven Water company was incorporated in
1849, but the city of New Haven having declined to under-
take the construction of the works, the charter was assigned
to Mr. Eli Whitney who, foreseeing the great importance of
a liberal supply of pure water to the health and prosperity
of the city, interested himself greatly in the enterprise, and
reorganizing the company took a contract with Charles
McClellan & Son for the construction of the dam and
works. The work was commenced in 1860.
The company commenced pumping water into the reser-
voir on the 2d of December, 1861, and it was introduced
into the distributing mains, January 1, 1862.
100 HAMDEN 0ENTENAB7.
WHITNEY DAM.
The heaviest part of this undertaking was the construc-
tion of the dam to retain the water. It was decided to con-
struct it of stone, using the trap rock of the adjoining
bluflfs of the East Rock group and Mill Rock. The site
chosen is at the narrow gorge between these two elevations
where formerly the old time grist mill of colonial days
stood, and where Mr. Whitney, Sr., built afterwards the
armory.
The foundation of the dam is the top of the nearly ver-
tical trap-dyke which here trends nearly east and west and
forms the connection between Mill Rock and Whitney
Peak, the spur of East Rock. It is the same dyke that
forms the crest of Mill Rock and has always acted as a nat-
ural barrier to the fldw of Mill River, causing falls at the
crossing. The sandstone above and below the dyke being
softer has worn away faster than the trap, thus leaving the
trap rock as the highest portion and so as to form a natu-
ral dam for the water. This natural dam and the water
power it afforded, with probably but little work, determined
the site of Todd's Grist Mill.
When the site was acquired by Mr. Eli Wliitney in
1798 the dam was built of logs and was about six feet
high.
The dimensions of the various parts of the dam are as
follows:
Overflow Portion: — Length, 160 feet; height, 30 feet in
1863, now (1887), 34 feet 11 inches; thickness at top, llrVt
feet; at base, 34x\f*^; batter on face, 2 in 12; at back, 7 in 12.
East Wing: — Height, 35 feet; thickness at top, 8/^;
at base, ^4r^ ; batter on face, 2 in 12; on back, 7 in 12.
Main Dam: — Height, 38^ J^ feet; thickness at top, %^
to 6 feet; at base, 26^^%; batter on face, 3 in 12; on back,
4 in 12.
West TTmf/;— Height, 6 feet; thickness at top, 3 feet;
at base, 6 feet. The total length of dam is 500 feet.
fflBTOmVAL AND DEBORIPTIVB. 101
The total cubic contents of the dam are about 250,000
cubic feet. -
In addition to the structure of stone there is a backing '
of gravel and sand 60 feet thick at the base and sloping to
the top of the dam. This gravel makes the total thickness
of the dam at top about 20 feet, and its base at the deepest
part of the river about 100 feet.
The face and back of the stone work of the dam are laid
up with the largest blocks of stone in cement mortar. A
layer of concrete on the back, eight inches thick, extends
from the rock foundation up to the water line.
Masses of rock from two to four feet long and weighing
as ihuch as four or five tons were used for the outer walls.
These masses were raised and placed by horse-power der-
ricks. The roughly laid back slope is finished with a
layer of concrete rammed down 'tightly between the
rock work and a facing or backing, on the water side of the
dam, formed of plank laid upon and spiked to timbers.
There is thus in this dam, first a layer of planks, next a
layer of concrete, and then the heavy stone work. The
whole is backed with gravel and sand and soil from the ad-
joining banks.
The top of the dam is faced with four-inch chestnut plank
laid on a slope down stream, and projecting beyond the face
of the stone work of the dam. This planking, or apron,
serves to throw the overflow water some distance beyond
the base of the stone work of the dam and upon solid rock.
It is thrown so far clear of the dam that no jarring vibration
of the air is produced by the fall, a vibration often formed
by the overflow of dams and the source of much annoyance
to residents, even at the distance of several . miles. For-
merly, when the dam was only six feet high, there was
considerable vibration, and the sound of the fall could often
be heard in New Haven. The vibration communicated to
the buildings of the manufactory was at times so great as
to seriously interfere with the polishing operations on the
firearms.
ItOd HAMDBN 0ENTBNAB7.
At the Derby dam, for example, which is twenty-one feet
high, with a perpendicular fall of water, the roaring noise
is very great, and the vibration is so severe as to shake the
buildings and to detach plastering from walls.
The lower portion of the Whitney dam is laid in cement.
The whole face was re-pointed a few years ago, and is in
good condition.
As more or less water would penetrate to the core of the
stone work it was necessary to leave channels along the
foundation for its escape. Holes were therefore left in the
stone work at intervals at the base of the face through which
the water behind the front wall could escape freely; thus
preventing its accumulation and any injury that might
otherwise result from freezing and expansion in the winter;
concrete and cement making the dam water-tight on the
upper side.
The contract price for the construction of the water
works, including the dam and reservoir, and eighteen miles
of main distributing pipe was $360,000. The price of labor
at that time was ninety-five cents per day; masons, $1.75;
cost of laying the stone, dry, six cents per foot; it would
now probably cost twenty cents or more. The dam at the
present time would not cost less than $160,000.
The pipe chamber near the west wing of the dam is built
of hydraulic masonry, and contains the gate screens and
pipe, four feet in diameter, through which the water is con-
veyed to the pump house. The elevation of this pipe above
the base of the dam is seventeen feet, leaving thirteen feet
of water available to the uses of the company. The storage
capacity of the distributing reservoir on Sachem's Hill is
10,000,000 gallons. The pumps have a capacity of 6,000,000
gallons daily.
The erection of this dam and the greatly increased area
of land overflowed in consequence, necessitated great
changes in the direction' of the roads near the old mill
pond. Twenty buildings and three bridges had to be re-
moved. Farms and gardens were submerged, roads were
H18T0B1CAL AND DEBCRIPTIVB. 108
covered with water, and mill sites were destroyed, A re-
construction of all that part of the town followed. The
covered bridge, which had for nearly forty years spanned I
the mill pond in the line of the old Hartford turnpike, was
moved entire from its abutments, under the direction of
Mr. Eli Whitney, and taken a quarter of a mile higher up
the stream and placed upon new abutments in the place it
now occupies.
THE COVERED BRIDGE.
As this bridge is one of the oldest of its kind in the United
States, if not the first truss bridge, a brief description of it,
and of its removal, will be given.
It was designed and constructed about the year 1823, by
Ithiel Town, architect and engineer. It is built of oak tim-
bers, and is 100 feet in span and about 114 feet in total
length; breadth, 13i feet; height, 13 feet 9 inches. The
truss is formed of 3 inch oak plank, 8i to 9 inches wide,
crossing each other at an angle of 80^ and about four feet
apart, center to center, and pinned at the crossings by two
2i inch oak pins, wedged at each end. These truss timbers
42 in number on each side, or 84 in all, are held at the
ends, top and bottom, by stringers or plates, one on each
side, measuring 12x6^ inches. The different lengths of
timber are joined by long tenon joints securely pinned.
The roof is supported by strong rafters, to which angle
braces are pinned, and extend down upon the side of the
truss.
There is no framing of the truss timber, and but little in
any part of the structure, the whole strength of the timber
being utilized. The bridge would be equally strong if
turned up side down.
REMOVAL OF THE COVERED BRIDGE.
The removal of this long and heavy bridge was thought
by the engineers to be such a difficult and costly under-
taking that it was discouraged, but Mr. Eli Whitney un-
104 HAMDBN OBNTBNABY.
dertook it, and removed the bridge whole to its present
position at a cost of only $250. Cribs of chestnut posts
were first built up tinder the bridge. Upon these, long sills
were laid; rollers were put between them and the sills of
the bridge, and the structure was then rolled oflf ux)on the
road, and so on to the new place where the abutments had
already been built for its reception. Here the bridge was
rolled over the gap for one- third of its length, and by the
aid of crib work and timbers was finally placed in position
uninjured, and has since continued in good condition.
The timbers appear to be as sound and firm as they ever
were, and with proper care of the foundations and roof, to
prevent decay, the bridge may last for half a century more.
WINTERGREEN LAKE WATER WORKS.
Another source of supply of water for the city was found
in the small pond known as Wintergreen Lake, on the
northeast slope of the West Rock range, at an elevation of
about 240 feet above tide water. A dam was built there in
1863, by the late John Osbom. The reservoir covers over
60 acres.
In 1877 it was purchased by the New Haven Water com-
pany, and has head suflicient to supply the houses along
Prospect street.
In 1864 a charter for water works for Centerville was ob-
tained by the late C. W. Everest.
MT. OARMEL WATER COMPANY.
The Mt. Carmel Water Company was chartered and com-
menced operations in 1878, with a capital of $6,000. The
supply of water at present is obtained from natural springs
. on the surrounding hills and from wind-mill power. For
future emergency the company holds the title of land and
water heads in various localities, among which the Wolcott
Palls, an ancient saw mill seat in the western part of the
town, in connection with others, are depended upon for
EiaTOmOAL AND DB80BIPTIVB. 106
fumisliing Centerville and Dixwell avenue on the Hamden
plains, also the hill country around New Haven beyond
the reach of the New Haven Water works in elevation.
Also, the railroad station at Mt. Carmel and adjacent houses.
Such a development opens room for a profitable increase
of the company's capital stock. The company are in pos-
session of maps showing the location and elevation of all the
water sources in New Haven vicinity, besides a descriptive
map of the present lay-out of the works. The present
officers consist of James Ives, president, and Allen D.
Osbom, secretary, treasurer and surveyor, with Lyman H.
Bassett and Samuel J. Hayes, as directors.
BAST ROOK PARK.
The beautiful public park laid out upon East Rock by
the city of New Haven and many of its public spirited citi-
zens, is partly within the limits of the town, and adds
greatly to the attractions of the place. The following de-
scriptive passages are taken from the report to the com-
missioners upon a lay-out or plan for the park, by Donald
G. Mitchell, L.L.D., to whom the lay-out of the drives,
and general design of the park was entrusted :
* * The area proposed for the park, is a crescent-shaped body
of land, two miles north by east from the Green, with its
convex side toward the city, its prominent feature being a
great up-lift of basaltic cUflf, which, in its highest part,
reaches an elevation of 300 feet, and shows a precipitous
face from 70 to 100 feet in height, by some 1,800 feet in
length. This great line of precipice is convex in shape,
and fronts the city; it is fringed with a dwarf growth of
wood, and the rocky debris at its foot slopes to the banks of
Mill River, which, with its narrow hem of salt meadow,
skirts the rock upon the south and west.
** East of the southernmost end of the main cliff, and sep-
arated from it by a wooded gorge, rises a lesser basaltic
hill, known as Indian Head, which repeats in miniature
the features of its larger neighbor, and has only some 60
14
106 HAMDSN OSNTBNART,
feet less of elevation. Thence the rocky frame work of the
park lands tends southeasterly and ends in Snake Rock,
where trap and red sandstone both appear. This last cliflf,
some 300 feet in height, forms the southern horn of the
orescent shape to which I have likened the general area.
" North of East Rock proper there is another dip of the
land, though not so gorge like as at the southern end, yet
showing a very picturesque sylvan glade, which is flanked
by heavy forest growth on the north. This forest growth
covers the southern slope of a new transverse line of rocky
ridge, whose eastern extremity is known as Whitney Peak,
and which at the west ends in a bold, rocky buttress of cliff
at the Whitney Dam. North of this barrier again, easy
slopes of wooded and tilled land carry the park area to the
shores of the lake, and to the so-called Ridge Road, which
forms for a considerable distance the northern boundary.
QUHTNIPIAO ENTRANCE.
^* The eastern border is a curved line, nearly parallel with
the North Haven road, and some 600 or 700 feet distant
therefrom, for more than half its length— following gener-
ally the bottom of the slope which the hill land makes in
its descent to the level of the Quinnipiac Valley, and
touching State street at what I have designated as the
Quinnipiac entrance. The eastern slope is seamed with
several rocky ravines, heavily wooded, which receive the
flow of a few scattered springs upon the flank of the hill.
* *^ A fair forest growth covers at least four-fifths of the area
— stunted and dwarfed where the rock comes near to the
surface, and heavy and luxuriant where the soil is deep.
" The bold picturesqueness of the site does not invite the
niceties of conventional gardening. Beside those ragged
reaches of precipice, and the skirting forest, little patches
of garden craft would be impertinencies. I have therefore
sought mainly, in the plan submitted, to make access easy
and enjoyable, not only to the more commanding localities,
but to the retired nooks and recesses of the range, which
are now comparatively little known.
maTORIOAL AlfjD DBaOBlPTrVB. 107
" I have introduced a few small dashes of color— whether j
by flowering shrubs or dwarf evergreens — ^grudgingly, and |
only where some quiet bit of sheltered greensward seemed '
to invite the treatment. In all the work suggested I have
tried to subordinate the rocks and roads and plantings to
the grander features of interest, under the conviction that
the things best worth seeing there will always be the rocks
and woods and views as nature has shaped them.
HAMBEN BIDGE ENTBANOE.
"I have suggested some modifications of the boundary
line of the park. In two instances to facilitate entrance,
as at the joining of Bock and Hemlock streets, which I
have designated as Terrace entrance; and again at a point
upon the Ridge road. This latter change of border line,
indicated upon the diagram, will explain itself in connec-
tion with the contours, and will be demanded to secure an
easygrade whenever an entrance from the northeast shall
be desired. A third modification of more importance is that
proposing a longer line of lake shore, which, if adopted,
will increase very largely the apparent area— virtually
bring the whole lower reach of Lake Whitney into the
park territory, and forbid any possible future occupancy
of the annex suggested, which would work detriment to the
interests of the park. ,
GATE OF THE TWO TOWNS.
"The old site of Rock Lane Bridge is an extremely pic-
turesque point, since it is here that the wooded highlands
of the west bank approach most nearly to the mass of the
rock. I therefore strongly urge for this crossing a bridgo
of picturesque character. Such an one would show charm-
ingly from the Orange street entrance, and from the walk
along the whole bend of shore lying between. Two or
three stone arches, as indicated in a sketch submitted,
would be best. If costs should forbid this, I have given
another "hint*' for a heavy timber structure of the old
108 HAMDSN OBNTSNAnT.
Colonial (New England) type, which Ironld harmonize ad-
mirably with the scene; bnt I cannot forbear thinking that
a '^railroad tmss'' at this pointy thongh perhaps the
cheapest) will mar very mnch one of the most raral and
park-like scenes which will be subject to yonr control.
** Still another, and subordinate entrance from Whitney
avenue, is figured upon the plan, from a i)oint near the
Hamden line. This ** Gfate of the two Towns " connects by
even grade with the approaches last si>oken of ; it also gives
entrance to that foot path diverging from the drive, which
hereabout, as the map will show, skirts the bend in the
river, by a raised embankment which may be fringed with
a growth of willows, and crossing the river by a simple
rustip foot bridge, will connect with the trail of walks and
drives upon the east bank.
** Another bridge way, for foot passengers only, I have fig-
ured as traversing the wasteway of the Whitneyville Dam.
A light suspension bridge here (if consent of proprietors
could be gained to that end) would be charmingly pictur-
esque, and would enable those taking advantage of the
Whitneyville cars, to plunge easiest and quickest into the
shady recesses of the park.
; "A ^* Lake Entrance" is suggested from the road beyond
the covered bridge, at a point near the old Hartford turn-
pike, and still another from the country road crossing the hill
eastward, near to a point marked by trees and a spring,
which I have called the Beech Spring entrance. These lat-
ter approachways would hardly be needed until the park
has reached a much later stage of development, and the
same is true of the northeastern entrance already alluded to
in connection with certain modifications of the park borders.
'' The entrance from State street, now in service for the
driveway opened a year since to Indian Head, is embraced
in the scheme of roads figured upon the plan. This will
always be a favorite entrance for those living east of Mill
River, and the wooded dell through which approach here
is made, will at some future day permit and invite very
piquant garden treatment.
mSTOmOAL AND DttSOtOPTtrB. 1<»
MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY.
INTRODUCTORY NOTIOB.
SKETCH of the manufacturing industify of the
town of Hamden requires an introductory notice
of the progress of manufacturing in New Haven
before the separation and incorporation of the
town in 1786. Up to that time, and for some years after,
the aid of machinery in the productive arts was but little
known. Hand work was the rule. Most of the manual
trades followed in England at the time of the colonization
of America were represented in the persons of the early
colonists.
The necessities of five generations of colonists on the
borders of the broad wilderness of America greatly stimu-
lated the inventive and manufacturing spirit. The truth
of the old Spanish proverb, " Necessity is the mother of
invention," could hardly be better exemplified than in the
industrial development of Connecticut and New England.
But all salient manifestations of this spirit of invention and
home production were repressed by the mother country.
British workshops were jealous of the least attempts of the
colonists to become industrially independent of them.
IRON WORKS AT 8ALTON8TALL LAKE.
The projection of iron works by the New Haven people
as early as 1655, and their establishment by John Winthrop
and Stephen Goodyear, at the outlet of SaltonstaU Lake
could not be without influence upon the industrial future of
this town. The ore for the bloomery was dug from the
bogs of North Haven, and was, in part, taken down *he
no HAMDEN OSJfTBNART,
Qninnipiac in boats. Charcoal was made from the forests
on the common land, and the people of New Haven assisted
in building the dam. A grant of special privileges was
made and great results were expected, but do not appear
to have been realized.
After the death of Goodyear and the removal of Win-
throp, the works were leased to Captain Clark and Mr.
Payne, of Boston. In October, 1668, the General Assembly
at Hartford confirmed the grant made by New Haven, and
exempted the works from paying country rates for the
next seven years, as appears by the following copy of the
record :
At a General Assembly held at Hartford Oct. 8th 1668 (p
708). ** Vpon the petition of Mr. Wm. Andrews on behalf e
of Capt. Thomas Clarke, master of the Iron Workes of N:
Haven, for encouragement of the sd worke in supply of the
country with good iron and well wrought according to art.
This Court doe confirme a grant formerly made by N: Haven
viz: that the sayd persons & estates constantly and onely
imployed in the sayd worke shall be and are hereby exem-
ted from payeing countrey rates for seuen yeares next en-
sueing. Mr. Wilford engages to pay ten shillings for this
petition:"
BAYONETS, SCYTHES AND OOPPEB COINS.
Samuel Huggins established the manufacture of bayonets
in 1775. Axes and scythes were made by Captain Ezekiel
Hayes. A mint for coining " coppers" was established in
New Haven in 1785 and tradition says that some of the cop-
per used was obtained at, and a short distance beyond, Mt.
Carmel.
COTTON MILL AT WESTVILLE.
In 1789, three years after the incorporation of Hamden,
the first cotton mill in America was established in the
adjoining village of Westville. Calico printing was carried
on in New Haven as early as 1780 by Amos Doolittle & Co.,
mSTOBIOAL AND DE80MIPTIVB. Ill
and afterwards by John Mix, Jr., who subsequently estab- !
lished the manufacture of buttons, and had a competitor in
the person of Capt. Phineas Bradley, leading to much riv-
alry and advertising.
PRODUCTION OF SILK.
About the time that Hamden was set off from New Haven
the domestic production of silk excited considerable atten-
tion from the public, and mulberry orchards were planted
in New Haven and the adjoining towns. The Connecticut
Silk Society was established in 1785. Ezra Stiles, president
of the college took an active part in the promotion of this
industry. His family had clothing made of silk fabrics,
woven in England, from silk of their own raising, and the
president at the college commencement, in 1788, wore a
gown of home-spun silk.
UTILIZATION OF MILL RIVER.
Mills were established early at the Beaver Ponds, and near
West Rock, also at Mill Rock, on Mill River, and at Mt.
Carmel and also a mill for fulling cloth.
Mill River has been well utilized for power throughout
its course in the town limits. The first instance was for
the grist mill erected by the town of New Haven at the
falls over the trap dyke at the east end of Mill Rock, two
miles from New Haven. This mill was first hired and then
bought of the town by Christopher Todd before the year
1686. It was long known as Todd's mill, and after 1798
passed into the possession of Eli Whitney, who erected
there the first establishment in America for the manufac-
ture of fire arms.
Before the erection of the present dam for the New
Haven Water Company there were three mill sites above it
now submerged ; one at the old clock factory near the pres-
ent location of the covered bridge, and another formerly a
paper mill and then a cotton factory above the covered
bridge above the dam, and another where Waite's grist
mill stood at the time the new dam was built.
lis HAMBBN OSNTBITART.
I* 1 .1 II. II I ■ ■ ..1 1 1 1 II ■ -I I' -
From information oommnnicated to Professor Dana by
Mr. Charles Holt in 1869, we learn that the height of the
snocessive falls of water along Mill River, northward from
the 85-foot fall at Whitneyville, are at Augerville eight feet;
half a mile above, at the dam of the Webbing Company, 8i
feet; one-eighth of a mile above, at Beers' Q-rist Mill, 8
feet ; above this near Ives's Station, James Ives's dam, 10
feet ; at the Mt. Carmel gap, Ives's dam, 13 feet ; between
the last two, 8 feet, in all 89 feet. The back water of Ives's
dam is less than a fourth of a mile in length, and its head
is about six miles in an air line north from Whitneyville.*
In 1836, Barber, in his history enumerated besides the
armory or gun factory at Whitneyville, a factory called the
Carmel works, six and a half miles from New Haven, for
coach and elliptic springs, steps and axle trees for carriages;
one carriage factory; one brass factory; one paper mill and
some minor establishments.
Before the establishment of the armory by Mr. Whitney,
the lake above the dam, then only six feet high, was
known as Sabine's Mill Pond. The wife of Rev. Jonathan
Edwards was drowned there in June, 1782, while attempt-
ing to water her horse by the road side.
THE COTTON GIN.
Soon after the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whit-
ney in the year 1793, he returned to New Haven from
Georgia, and commenced the manufacture of the first gins.
He there commenced the construction of the first sixty cot-
ton gins required under his contract with the State of South
Carolina, in a building on the comer of Wooster street and
Chestnut street. At a later period, portions of cotton
gins were made in this town. A short account of the
cotton gin, and of Mr. Whitney's experience with it, will
serve to show the circumstances under which he undertook
the manufacture of fire-arms and founded Whitney armory,
*Prof. J. D. Dana's "Memoir on tbe Origin of some of the Topographical
Features of the New Uaven Region," p 100.
HiaTOBIOAL AND DEBOBIPTIVB. 118
The great importance of the new invention for ginning
cotton was quickly appreciated by the cotton planters, not
only of Georgia, but of the neighboring States. Mr. Whit- 1
ney had entered into partnership with Mr. Phineas Miller,
his friend and patron, and had made application for a pat-
ent to Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary of State, but it was
deemed unsafe to show the machine to the multitudes of
people who came to see it until the patent had been se-
cured. But precautions were unavailing; the building in
which the machine was kept was broken open at night and
the cotton gin was carried off. Its construction thus be-
came generally known. Other machines were soon in suc-
cessful operation, and before the patent could be secured.
In October, 1793, he forwarded to the Secretary of State
a drawing of the cotton gin, and shortly after received the
following interesting letter from Mr. Jefferson, desiring
further particulars regarding the invention:
**GEUMANT0W2f, Nov. 16, 1793.
" Sir : Your favor of October 16, inclosing a drawing of
your cotton gin was received on the 6th inst. The only
requisite of the law now uncomplied with is the forward-
ing a model, which, being received, your patent may be
made out and delivered to your order immediately.
''As the State of Virginia, of wliich I am, carries on
household manufacture of cotton to a great extent, as I
also do myself, and one of our gi*eat embarrassments is
the cleaning the cotton of the seed, I feel a considerable
interest in the success of your invention for family use.
Permit me, therefore, to ask information from you on
these points: Has the machine been thoroughly tried in
the ginning of cotton, or is it as yet but a machine of
theory i What quantity of cotton has it cleaned on an
average of several days, and worked by hand, and by how
' many hands ? What wiU be the cost of one of them made
to be worked by hand ? Favorable answers to these ques-
15
114 HAMDEN OENTENARJ.
tions wonld indnce me to engage one of them to be for-
warded to Kichmond for me. Wishing to hear from you
on the subject, I am, sir,
" Your most obed't servant,
*'Th: Jeffbbson."
Mr. Whitney wrote Mr. Jefferson Nov. 24, 1793, as fol-
lows :
*^ it is about a year since I first turned my attention t^
constructing this machine, at which time I was in the State
of Q-eorgia. Within about ten days after my first concep-
tion of the plan, I made a small, though imperfect, model.
Experiments with this encouraged me to make one on a
larger scale; but the extreme difficulty of procuring work-
men and proper materials in Georgia prevented my com-
pleting the larger one until some time in April last. This,
though much larger than my first attempt, is not above one-
third as large as the machines may be made with conven-
ience. The cylinder is only two feet two inches in length
and six inches in diameter. It is turned by handy and re-
quires the strength of one man to keep it in constant mo-
tion. It is the stated task of one negro to clean fifty weight
(I mean fifty pounds after it is separated from the seed), of
the green seed cotton per day."
The patent for the cotton gin was issued under date of
March 4, 1794.
Infringements had become numerous and formidable.
Great claims were made of the superiority of the ^^saw
giUy^ in which the teeth were cut in the edge of annular
discs of iron, instead of being made of wire.
Mr. Whitney found it extremely difficult to obtain the
money requisite for the manufacture of the gins; enormous
interest was paid for some of the loans.
He was prostrated by sickness, his work shops were con-
sumed by fire, and it was necessary to resort to the courts
to secure the benefits of his invention.
aiatORtOAt ANi) DESOBIPTIVS. ll6
The first suit, in 1797, was decided against the patent,
although the judge had charged tlie jury pointedly in favor
of the plaintiff. Mr. Miller wrote of this result as follows:
^VThus, after four years of assiduous labor, fatigue and
difficulty, are we again set afloat by a new and unexpected
obstacle. Our hopes of success are now removed to a pe-
riod still more distant than before, while our expenses are
realized beyond all controversy."
Two years later, in April, 1799, he wrote: "The prospect
of making anything by ginning in this State [Georgia] is at
an end. Surreptitious gins are erected in every part of the
countiy; and the jurymen at AugusUx have come to an un-
derstanding by themselves that they will never give a ver-
dict in our favor, let the merits of the case be as they may."
Upon the suggestion by many of the planters of South
Carolina, that if an application were made to their Legisla-
ture by the citizens to purchase the right of the patentees
for that State, there was no doubt that it would be done to
the satisfaction of all parties, petitions were circulated and
very generally signed, and Miller and Whitney offered to
sell the right for the State of South Carolina for one hun-
dred thousand dollars. Mr. Whitney, in Dec, 1801, wrote
of the result: ^' I have been at this place [Columbia] a lit-
tle more than two weeks attending the Legislature. They
closed their session at ten o'clock last evening. A few
hours previous to their adjournment they voted to purchase
for the State of South Carolina my patent right to the ma-
chine for cleaning cotton at fifty thousand dollars, of which
sum twenty thousand is to be paid in hand and the remain-
der in three annual payments of ten thousand dollars each.
This is selling the Tight at a great sacrifice. If a regular
course of law had been pursued, from two to three hundred
thousand dollars would undoubtedly have been received.
The use of the machine here is amazingly extensive, and
the value of it beyond all calculation. It may, without ex-
aggeration, be said to have raised the value of seven-eighths
of aU the three Southern States from fifty to one hundred
lie HAMDJBN OJSNTBKART,
per cent. We get but a song for it in comparison with the
worth of the thing, but it .is securing something. It will
enable Miller & Whitney to pay all their debts and divide
something between them. It establishes a precedent which
will be valuable, as it respects our collections in other
States, and I think there is now a fair prospect that I shall
in the event realize property enough to render me comfort-
able and in some measure independent.''
* « « « « « *
Negotiations were then opened with the State of North
Carolina, and the prospects of the patentees were brighten-
ing, when the Legislature of South Carolina, at its succeed-
ing session, annulled the contract and suspended the pay-
ment of the balance of the thirty thousand dollars and
instituted suit for the recovery of the twenty thousand
which had been paid over, but the next Legislature, in
1804, rescinded this unjust legislation of the previous
Legislature.
By the death of his partner, Mr. Miller, in December,
1803, Mr. Whitney was left alone to struggle with this con-
tinued opposition to the realization of his hopes of substan-
tial reward for his invention and labors. A large portion
of the money obfciined from South Carolina and for con-
tracts with the State of North Carolina was expended in
fruitless law suits in Georgia. But at last, in 1807, Judge
Johnson of the United States Court in Georgia, rendered
the following decision in favor of Mr. Whitney :
*^The complainants in this case [Whitney, survivor of
Miller & Whitney], are proprietors of the machine called
the Saw Gin; the use of which is to detach the short staple
cotton from its seed.
The defendant [Arthur Fort], in violation of their patent
rights, has constructed and continues to use this machine,
and the object of this suit is to obtain a perpetual injunction
to prevent a continuance of this infraction of complainant's
right.
msTOBiOAL jjrp DEaompTtVB. m
Defendant admits most of the facts in the bill set forth,,
but contends that the complainants are not entitled to: the
benefits of the act of congress on this subject because:
Ist. The invention is not original.
2d. It is not useful.
3d. That the machine which he uses is materially diflfer-
ent from their invention in the application of an improve-
ment, the invention of another person.
The court will proceed to make a few remarks upon the
several points as they have been presented to their view :
whether the defendant was now at liberty to set up this
defense whilst the patent-right of complainant remains un-
repealed has not been made a question, and they will there-
fore not consider it.
"To support the originality of the invention the com-
plainants have produced a variety of depositions of wit-
nesses examined under commission, whose examination ex-
pressly proves the origin, progress and completion of the
machine by Whitney, one of the co-partners. Persons who
were made privy to his fir^t discovery, testify to the several
experiments which he made in their presence before he
ventured to expose his invention to the scrutiny of the pub-
lic eye. But it is not necessary to resort to such testimony
to maintain this point. The jealousy of the artist to main-
tain that reputation which his ingenuity has justly
acquired, has urged him to unnecessary pains in this sub-
ject. There are circumstances in the knowledge of all
mankind which prove the originality of this invention more
satisfactorily to the mind than the direct testimony of a
host of witnesses. The cotton plant furnished clothing to
mankind before the age. of Herodotus. The green seed is a
species much more productive than the black and fcy nature
adapted to a much greater variety of climate. But by
reason of the strong adherence of the fibre to the seed,
without the aid of some more powerful machine for separa-
ting it than any formerly known among us, the cultivation
of it would never have been made an object. The machine
lid AAMbMN OJiNtSttARt.
of which Mr. Whitney claims the invention so facilitates
the preparation of this species for use that the cultivation
of it has suddenly become an object of infinitely greater
national importance than that of the other species ever can
be. Is it then to be imagined that if this machine had been
before discovered the use of it would ever have been lost,
or could have been confined to any tract or country left un-
explored by commercial enterprise % But it is unnecessary
to remark further upon this subject. A number of years
have elapsed since Mr. Whitney took out his patent and
ho one has produced or pretended to prove the existence of
a machine of similar construction or use.
"2d. With regard to the utility of this discovery, the
court would deem it a waste of time to dwell long upon this
topic. Is there a man who hears us who has not exper-
ienced its utility? The whole interior of the Southern
States was languishing and its inhabitants emigrating for
want of some object to engage their attention and employ
their industry, when the invention of this machine at once
opened views to them which set the whole country in active
motion. From childhood to age it has presented to us a
lucrative employment. Individuals who were depressed
with poverty and sunk in idleness have suddenly risen to
wealth and respectability. Our debts have been paid off.
Our capitals have increased and our lands trebled themselves
in value. We cannot express the weight of the obligation
which the country owes to this invention. The extent of
it cannot now be seen. Some faint presentiment may be
formed from the reflection that cotton is rapidly supplant-
ing wool, flax, silk and even furs in manufactures and may
one day profitably supply the use of specie iii our East
India trade. Our sister states, also, participate in the ben-
efits of this invention, for, besides affording the raw mate-
rial for their manufacturers, the bulkiness and quantity of
the article* afford a valuable employment in their shipping.
" 3d. The third and last ground taken by the defendant
appears to be that on which he mostly relies. In the
mSTOBIOAL AND JDjBSORIPTJTS. 119
specification the teeth made use of are of strong wire in-,
serted into the cylinder. A Mr. Holmes has cut teeth in;
plates of iron and passed them over the cylinder. This
is certainly a meritorious improvement in the mechan-
ical process of constructing this machine. But at last,
what does it amount to, except a more convenient mode
of making the same thing? Every characteristic of Mr.
Whitney's machine is preserved. The cylinder, the iron
tooth, the rotary motion of tooth, the breast work and
brush, and all the merit that this discovery can assumet
is that of a more expeditious mode of attaching the
tooth to the cylinder. After being attached, in opera-
tion and effect they are entirely the same. Mr. Whitney
may not be at liberty to use Mr. Holmes' iron plate,
but certainly Mr. Holmes' improvement does not destroy
Mr. Whitney's patent-right. Let the decree for a per-
petual injunction be entered."
The cotton gin as an invention has been in use nearly a
century, and altliough we have passed through a period of
wonderful inventive activity it remains substantially un-
changed in the essential features of its construction. The
revolving toothed cylinder, the screen and the brush still
constitute the chief necessary parts of the machine. This
invention hastened the march of civilization, made the cot-
ton states rich and changed the commerce of the world.
It is stated, that in the year 1784 a vessel that carried
elgJU bales of cotton from the United States to Liverpool
was seized in that port on the ground that so large a quan-
tity of cotton, in a single cargo, could not be the produce
of the United States.
In the year 1791 the whole cotton crop of the United
Stjites was but 2,000,000 pounds. In 1793 the quantity
exported was only 138,324 pounds, but by the year 1809 it
had increased to nearly 18,000,000 pounds. In 1845, fifty-
two years after the invention of the cotton gin, it was more
than 1,000,000,000 of pounds (2,395,000 bales, averaging
above 430 pounds). In 1791, the cotton annually produced
190 BAMDBm OENTEHABT.
in the whole world was estimated at 400,000,000 poundB,
of which the United States, consequently, produced only
l-246th. In 1846 the United States produced more than
seven-eighths of the world's supply.
In 1880 there were in the United States over one thou-
sand establishments for the manufacture of cotton, paying
annually over $46,000,000 in wages, using materials to the
value of $113,766,637, and producing cotton goods valued
at $210,960,388.
WHITNBY ABMORY.
The site upon which the Armory now stands, together
with the water power and the old mill, were bought by Mr.
Whitney in 1798, six years after his graduation from Col-
lege. He was then about thirty-three years old. His in-
vention of the cotton gin and his frequent visits to the South
and Washington, on business connected with it, had made
him well known to Mr. Jefferson and other officers of the
Government, on whom he had made a most favorable im-
pression. Accordingly, when the United States needed a
new supply of fire arms, Mr. Whitney sought and easily
obtained a contract for the manufacture, and he was en-
couraged to establish an armory where arms could be made
for the United States.
In introducing this portion of the history we cannot do
better than to print the following letter, addressed by Mr.
Whitney to the Secretary of the Treasury at that time, and
now first published :
"To Oliver Woloott, Esq.,
Secretary of the Treasury of the U. 8.
"New Haven, May 1, 1798.
"Sir: By the debates in Congress I observe tliat they
are about making some appropriations for procuring arms,
etc., for the United States.
HIBTOBIOAL AND DE80RIPTIVE. 121
" Should an actual war take place or the communication
between the United States and the West India Islands con\
Untie to be as hazardous and precarious as it now is, my;
business of making the Patent Machines for Cleansing
Cotton must, in the meantime, be postponed. I have a
number of workmen and apprentices whom I have in-
sti'ucted in working in wood and metals, and whom I
wish to keep employed. These circumstances induced
me to address you and ask the privilege of having an op-
portunity of contracting for the supply of some of the
articles which the United States may want. I should like
to undertake to manufacture ten or fifteen thousand stand
of anns.
I am persuaded that machinery moved by water, adapted
to this business, would greatly diminish the labor and facili-
tate the manufacture of this article. Machines for forging,
rolling, floating, boreing, grinding, polishing, etc., may all
be made use of to advantage.
'* Cartridge, or cartouche box, is an article which I can
manufacture. I have a machine for boreing wood of my
own invention, which is admirably adapted for this pur-
pose.
^*The making of swords, hangers, pistols, etc., I could
perform.
^^Tliere is a good fall of water in the vicinity of this
town [New Ilaven] which I can procure, and could have
works erected in a short time. It would not answer, how-
ever, to go to the expense of erecting works for this
purpose unless I could contract to make a considerable
number.
"Tlie contracting for the above articles will not, I sup-
pose, belong to the Department of the Treasury ; but if you
will take the trouble to mention me to the Secretary of
War, I shall consider it as a particular favor.
** I shall be able to procure sufficient bonds for the fulfill-
ment of a contract of the kind above mentioned, and will
16 .
122 UAMDBN VKNTKNAB7.
come forward to Fhiladelphia, immediately, in case there
is an opportunity for me to make proi>08als.
^' With the highest respect, I am, sir,
" Tour obedient servant,
"Eli Whitney."
The few pages following are from the Memoir of Eli
Whitney, by Professor Denison Olmsted.*
** In 1708 Mr. Whitney became deeply impressed witli the
uncertainty of all his hopes founded upon the Cotton Gin, •
notwithstanding their high promise, and he began to think
seriously of devoting himself to some business in which
superior ingenuity, seconded by uncommon industry, qual-
ifications which he must* have been conscious of possessing
in no ordinary degree, would conduct him by a slow, but
sure route, to a competent fortune, and we have always
considered it indicative of a solid judgment and a well
balanced mind, that he did not, as is frequently the case
with men of inventive genius, become so i)oisoned with the
hopes of vast and sudden wealth as to be disqualified for
making a reasonable provision for life, by the sober earn-
ings of frugal industry.
THE MANUPAOTURE OF FIRE ARMS.
" The enterprise which he selected in accordance with
these views was the manufacture of fire arms for the United
States. He accordingly addressed a letter to the Hon. Oliver
Wolcott, Secretary of the Treasury, and through his in-
fiuence obtained a contract for ten thousand stand of arms,
amounting (as the price of each musket was to be thirteen
dollars and forty cents) to one hundred and thirty-four
thousand dollars, — an undertaking of great responsibility,
considering the limited pecuniary resources of the under-
* First published in the Avnerican Journal of Science for 1882 and separately
by Durrie & Peck, in 1846— 8vo, 80 pages.
ffJSTOniCAL Am> PEBCniPTIVM. liA
taker. This contract was concluded on the 14th of June,
1798, and four thousand were to be delivered on or before ',
the last day of September of the ensuing year, and the ;
remaining six thousand in one year from that time; so that
the whole contract was to be fulfilled within a little more
than the period of two years, and for the due fulfillment of
it Mr. Whitney entered into bonds to the amount of thirty
thousand doUars. He must have engaged in this under-
taking resolved * to attempt great things,' without stopping
to weigh all the chances against him, for as yet, the works
were all to be erected, the machinery to be made, and much
of it to be invented; the raw materials were to be collected
from different quarters, and the workmen themselves, al-
most without exception, were yet to learn the trade. Nor
was it a business with which Mr. Whitney himself was
particularly conversant. Mechanical invention, a sound
judgment and persevering industry, were all that he pos-
sessed, at first, for the accomplishment of a manufacturing
enterprise, which was at that time probably greater than
any man had ever undertaken in the State of Connecticut.
*'The low state of the mechanic arts, moreover, increased
his difficulties. There were in operation near him no kin-
dred mechanical estiablishments, upon which some branches
of his own business might lean: even his very tools re-
quired to be to a great extent fabricated by himself. , If it
is recollected also in what a depressed state the cotton gin-
ning business was at this period, it will appear still more
evincive of the bold spirit of enterprise which Mr. Whitney
possessed, as it will be seen that he could noi avail himself
of any resources from that quarter, nor could he reasonably
hope to derive from the same source any future succor.
But Mr. Whitney had strong friends among the most sub-
stantial citizens of New Haven, who had been witnesses
alike of the fertility of his genius and the extent of his in-
dustry. Ten of these came forward as his security to the
bank of New Haven for a loan of ten thousand dollars. Mr.
Wolcott, on the part of the United States, advanced five
124^ ^AMDm omrMllfAST.
thousand more at the time of contract, with the promise of
a similar sum as soon as the preparatory arrangements
for the manufacture of arms was completed. No farther
advances were to be demanded until one thousand stand of
arms were ready for delivery, at which time the additional
sum of five thousand dollars was to be advanced. Full pay-
ment was to be made on the delivery of each successive
thousand, with occasional advances at the discretion of
the Secretary.
' * The expenses incurred in getting the establishment fully
into operation must have greatly exceeded the expectation
of the parties, for advances of ten and fifteen thousand
dollars were successively made by the government, above
what was originally contemplated; but the confidence of
the government seems never to have been impaired: for the
Secretary, after having examined Mr. Whitney's works in
person, declared to him, in the presence of witnesses, that
the advances which he had made had been laid out with
great prudence and economy, and that the undertaker had
done more than he should have supposed possible with the
sum advanced.
'*,The site which Mr. Whitney had purchased for his
works was at the foot of the celebrated precipice called East
Rock, within two miles of New Haven. This spot (which is
now called Whitneyville) is justly admired for the romantic
beauty of its scenery. A waterfall of moderate extent af-
forded here the necessary power for propelling the ma-
chinery. In this pleasant retreat Mr. Whitney commenced
his operations, with the greatest zeal; but he soon became
sensible of the multiplied difllculties which he had to con-
tend with. A winter of uncommon severity set in early
and suspended Ais labors, and when the spring returned,
he found himself so little advanced, that he foresaw that
he would be utterly unable to deliver the 4,000 muskets
according to contract. In this predicament, he resolved to
throw himself on the indulgence of the enlightened Secre-
tary of the Treasury, to whom he explained at length the
mSTOAlOAL AND DJiSOBlPUra. 136
various causes which had conspired to retard his opera-
tions. [Letter dated June 29, 1799.]
** ' I find (says he), that my personal attention and over-
sight are more constantly and essentially necessary to every
branch of the work, than I apprehended. Mankind, gen-
ei^Uy, are not to be depended on, and the best workmen I
can find are incapable of directing. Indeed, there is no
branch of the work that can proceed well, scarcely for a
single hour, unless I am present.' "
At the end of the first year after the contract was made,
instead of 4,000 muskets, only 600 were delivered, and it
was eight years, instead of two, before the whole 10,000
were completed. The entire business relating to the con-
tract was not closed until January 1809, when (so liberally
had the government made advances to the contractor), the
final balance due Mr. Whitney was only $2,450.
"During the ten years Mr. Whitney was occupied in per-
forming this engagement, he applied himself to business
with the most exemplary diligence, rising every morning
as soon as it was day, and at night, setting every thing in
order appertaining to all parts of the establishment, before
he retired to rest. His genius impressed itself on every
part of the manufactory, extending even to the most com-
mon tools, all of which received some peculiar modification
which improved them in accuracy or efficacy, or beauty. His
machinery for making the several parts of a musket, was
made to operate with the greatest possible degree of uni-
formity and precision. The object at which he aimed, and
which he fully accomplished, was to make the same part of
different guns, as the locks, for example, as much like each
other as the successive impressions of a copper-plate en-
graving. It luis generally been conceded that Mr. Whit-
ney greatly improved the art of manufacturing arms, and
laid his country under permanent obligations, by augment-
ing her facilities for national defence. So rapid has been
the improvement in the arts and manufactures in this coun-
try, that it is difficult to conceive of the low state in which
m OAMDUN OiNTmARt.
they were thirty years ago. To this advancement the
genius and industry of Mr. Whitney most essentially con-
tributed, for while he was clearing off the numerous im-
pediments which were thrown in his way, he wsis at the
same time performing the office of a pioneer to the succeed-
ing generation.
**In the year 1812, he entered into a new contract with
the United States, to manufacture for them 15,000 stand of
arms; and in the meantime he executed a similar engage-
ment (we know not how extensive), for the State of New
York. Although his resources enabled him now to pro-
ceed with much greater dispatch, and with far less embar-
rassment than in his first enterprise, yet some misundei'-
standing arose with one of the agents of the government,
which made it necessary for him to bring his case before
the Secretary of War. The following testimonials, which
he obtained on this occasion from Governor Tompkins,
and from Governor Wolcott, will serve to show in what
estimation he was held by those who knew him best,
and who were most competent to judge of his merits.
The letters, dated May, 1814, are both addressed to Gen-
eral Armstrong, the existing Secretary of War. Governor
Tompkins observes as follows: *'I have visited Mr.
Whitney's establishment at New Haven, and have no
hesitation in saying that I consider it the most perfect I
have ever seen; and I believe it is well understood, that
few persons in this country surpass Mr. Whitney in talents
as a mechanic, or in experience as a manufacturer of mus-
kets. Those which he has made for us, are generally sup-
posed to exceed in form and quality, all the muskets either
of foreign or domestic fabrication, belonging to the state,
and are universally preferred and selected by the most
competent judges.
' It is perhaps proper for me to observe further, that all
Mr. Whitney's contracts with the state of New York have
been performed with integrity, and to the entire satisfac-
tion of the several military commissaries of the state.'
HISTOBIOAL AND DESVBIPTrVS. 187
** Governor Wolcott's testimony is still more full, as his ;
opportunities for acquaintance with Mr. Whitney had been
more extensive. We insert the letter entire, as not only
indicating the high reputation of the individual to whom it
relates, but exemplifying the liberality with which the
writer is known always to have fostered and encouraged
genius and merit.
^*Nbw Yobk, May 7, 1814.
** Sir — I have the honor to address you on behalf of my
friend, Eli Whitney, Esq., of New Haven, who is a manu-
facturer of arms, under a contract with your department.
Mr. Whitney first engaged in this business under a con-
tract with me, as Secretary of the Treasury; when, accord-
ing to existing laws, aU contracts for military supplies were
formed under my superintendence. I have since been con-
stantly acquainted with him, and venture to assure you
that the present improved state of our manufactures is
greatly indebted to his sldll and exertions; that though a
practical mechanic he is also a gentleman of liberal educa-
tion, a man of science, industry and integrity, and that his
inventions and labors have been as useful to this country as
those of any other individual. Moreover, that if any fur-
ther alterations or improvements in the construction of mil-
itary machines are proposed, Mr. Whitney is one of the few
men who can safely and advantageously be consulted, re-
specting the best mode of giving them effect.
** I make these declarations to you with a perfect convic-
tion that they express nothing more than Mr. Whitney
has a right.to demand from every man who is acquainted
witli his merits and capable of estimating their value; and
uudersUinding that he experiences some difficulties in re-
gard to his contract, I venture respectfully to request that
you would so far extend to him your favor as to inform
yourself particularly of the merits of his case and the ser-
vices he can perform; in which case I am certain he will
128 HAMDBN OBNTBNABT.
receive all the patronage and protection to which he is
entitled.
^^ I have the honor to remain, with the highest resi)ect,
sir, your obedient servant,
(Signed) " Olfver Woloott.
^* The Hon. Secretary Armstrong. ^^
UN8XT00ES8FUL COMPETITORS.
Several other persons made contracts with the govern-
ment at about the same time, and attempted the manufac-
ture of muskets, following substantially, so far as they
understood it, the method pursued in England. The result
of their efforts was a complete failure to manufacture mus-
kets of the quality required, at the price agreed to be paid
by the government; and in some instances they expended
in the execution of their contracts, a considerable fortune
in addition to the whole amount received for their work.
The low state to which the arts had been depressed in this
country by the policy of England, under the colonial sys-
tem, and from which they had then scarcely begun to re-
cover, together with tlie high l)rice of labor and otlier
causes, conspired to render it impmcticable at that time
even for those most competent to the undertaking, to man-
ufacture muskets here in the English method. And doubt-
less Mr. Whitney would have shared the fate of his enter-
prising, but unsuccessful competitors, had he adopted the
course which they pursued; but his genius struck out for
him a course entirely new.
^* In maturing his system he had many obstacles to com-
bat, and a much longer time was occupied than he had anti-
cipated; but with his characteristic firmness he pursued his
object, in the face of the obloquy and ridicule of his com-
petitors, the evil predictions of his enemies, and the still
more discouraging and disheartening misgivings, doubts
and apprehensions of his friends. His efforts were at length
niSTORICAL AND DB8CRIPTIVB. 129
crowned with success, and he had the satisfaction of finding
that the business which had proved so ruinous to others,'
was likely to prove not altogether unprofitable to himself. ,
** Our limits do not permit us to give a minute and de-
tailed account of this system ; and we shall only glance at
two or three of its more prominent features, for the pur-
pose of illustrating its general character.
THE UNIFORMITY SYSTEM.
"The several parts of the musket were, under this sys-
tem, carried along through the various processes of manu-
facture, in lots of some hundreds or thousands of each. In
their various stages of progress, they were made to under-
go successive operations by machinery, which not only
vastly abridged the labor, but at the same time so fixed
and determined their form and dimensions, as to make
comparatively little skill necessary in the manual opera-
tions. Such were the construction and arrangement of this
machinery, that it could be worked by persons of little or
no experience, and yet it performed the work with so much
precision, that when, in the later stages of the process, the
several parts of the musket came to be put together, they
were as readily adapted to each other, as if each had been
made for its respective fellow. A lot of these parts passed
through the hands of several different workmen success-
ively (and in some cases several times returned, at intervals
more or less remote, to the hands of th6 same workman),
each performing upon them every time some single and
simple operation, by machinery or by hand, until they were
completed. Thus Mr. Whitney reduced a complex busi-
ness, embracing many ramifications, almost to a mere suc-
cession of simple processes, and was thereby enabled to
make a division of the labor among his workmen, on a
principle which was not only more extensive, but also
altogether more philosophical than that pursued in the En-
glish method. In England, the labor of making a musket
17
180 HAMDBIT aSNTSNART,
was divided by making the different workmen the manu-
facturers of diflferent limbs, while in Mr. Whitney's system
the work was divided with reference to its nature, and sev-
eral workmen performed different operations on the same
limb.
*^ It will be readily seen that under such an arrangement
any person of ordinary capacity would soon acquire sufll-
cient dexterity to perform a branch of the work. Indeed,
so easy did Mr. Whitney find it to instruct new and inex-
perienced workmen, that he uniformly preferred to do so,
rather than to attempt to combat the prejudices of those
who had learned the business under a.diflferent system.
. *' When Mr. Whitney's mode of conducting the business
was brought into successful operation, and the utility of his
machinery was fully demonstrated, the clouds of prejudice
which lowered over his first efforts were soon dissipated,
and he had the satisfaction of seeing not only his system,
but most of his machinery, introduced into every other con-
siderable establishment for the manufacture of arms, both
public and private, in the United States.
*'The labors of Mr. Whitney in the manufacture of arms
have been often and fully admitted by the officers of the
government, to have been of the greatest value to the pub-
lic interest. A former Secretary of War admitted, in a
conversation with Mr. Whitney, that the government were
saving $25,000 per annum at the two public armories alone,
by his improvements. This admission, though it is believed
to be far below the truth, is sufficient to show that the
subject of this memoir deserved well of his country in this
department of her service.
"It should be remarked that the utility of Mr. Whitney's
labors during the period of his life which we have now been
contemplating was not limited to the particular business in
which he was engaged. Many of the inventions which he
made to facilitate the manufacture of musliets, were appli-
cable to most oth^r manufactures of iron and steel. To
many of these they were soon extended, and became the
mSTOBICAL AND DKaClUPTIVE. 181
nucleus around which other inventions clustered; and at
the present time some of them may be recognized in aimost,
every considerable workshop of that description in the
United States."
The foregoing extracts from the memoir of Whitney by
Professor Olmsted have beeh made at considerable length
because of the importance of this independent testimony to
the history of the progress of manufacturing industry in
the town of Hamden, and also in the United States. It was
written, also, soon after Mr. Whitney's death, and by one
who may be said to have been his contemporary, and who
thus was largely cognizant by actual observation of the
events and facts he has recorded.
Although involving some repetition, further observations
and details may be added to emphasize and make more
clear the importance and value of Mr. Whitney's labors to
the world. The writer has also been permitted to examine
the numerous papers and letters left by Mr. Whitney, some
of which are extremely interesting for the ligl^t they throw
upon the condition of manufacturing industry in the first
part of this century. In regard to the fabrication of fire
arms, for example, a memoir upon the subject, written by
Mr. Whitney, at Washington, in 1812, is so important that
it is given here entire. The paper appears to have been
prepared to submit to the War Department in support of
an ai)plication for another contract to make arms for the
United States at the WhitneyvillQ armory.
THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE ARMS.
**The following remarks are the result of twelve years'
attention to the subject of manufacturing Fire Arms. The
writer believes himself to have possessed greater advan-
tages for obtaining information on this subject than any
other individual in the United States, and his attention to
it has been stimulated by considerations of private interest
and personal reputation as well as by a sincere wish to see
182 HAMDBN OBNTBNABT.
hifi Oountry excel in an art so indi8X)enBable to its safety
and independence.
1. A good mnsket is a complicated engine and difficult to
make— difficult of execution because the conformation of
most of its parts corresponds with no regular geometrical
figure. ^Being familiarized to the musket from our earliest
childhood we are not aware of its complexity, though each
musket, with the bayonet, consists of fifty distinct parts.
2. Since the invention of fire arms nations have been pow-
ful in proportion to the number of their citizens skilled in
the fabrication of these weapons.
3. None of the nations of Eui'oi)e have made good mili-
tary guns, except the French and English.
4. In Asia, Africa and South America the art of making
fire arms is either wholly unknown or but very imperfectly
understood — ^hence the superiority of well-armed European
troops over the forces of those countries.
6. In civilized countries the principal object of fire arms
being the national defence, this species of manufacture can-
not flourish unless aided by the protection and fostering
hand of government. The government of France through
all its changes for the last one hundred years, has made it
a constant and primary object to encourage and extend its
manufactories of muskets; hence the excellence of their
arms, and hence the means indispensable to the acquisition
of that power which she now possesses. The government
of Great Britain, next to France, has given the greatest
encouragement to this species of manufacture.
6. The fabrication of fire arms as conducted in Europe is
a business which cannot be readily performed by workmen
bred to other occupations.
About the year 1796, the government of Great Britain
raised the price of arms, and engaged all the workmen in
the kingdom to deliver to the government all they could
make in fourteen years; and about the same time ihey im-
ported into England 50,000 muskets from Germany. Since
that period the term has been extended with the manufac-
IIISTOBIOAL AND DESCRIPTIVE, 188
turers, and a premium is constantly offered by the. govern-
ment to any subject who will leave the occupation to which
he was bred and work at certain branches of this manufac-
ture. So great is the difficulty in fabricating good Musket
Locks that, even in Great Britain, where there are the
greatest number of workmen whose occupation is most
nearly connected Avith this branch, the government finds it
impossible to extend the manufacture to meet their de-
mands. Twelve months ago, the British government had
on hand 200,000 musket barrels, which could not be made
up for the want of locks, etc.
7. The manufacture of muskets cannot be carried on in
this country without the aid of a variety of heavy and ex-
pensive machinery moved by water. As water works are
expensive and soon go to decay, the machinery should be
so proportioned, and the extent of each establishment
should be such as to keep all the machinery constantly em-
ployed.
8. Any attomi)t to carry on such a manufactory without
a solid, fixed and sufficient capital must be abortive. The
amount of the capital must be at least equal to double the
value of the arms delivered in one year, and this amount
will not be sufficient unless the finished work be turned in
and payment for the same received every ninety days.
9. The establishment of such a manufactory is, from the
very nature of things, a progressive operation, and can in
no case be accomplished in less than two years, and should
be continued at least twenty years to warrant such an invest-
ment of capital.
The subscriber begs leave further to remark that he has
for the last twelve years been engaged in manufacturing
muskets; that ho now has the most respectable private es-
tablishment in the United States for carrying on this impor-
tant branch of business. That this establishment was com-
menced and has been carried on upon a plan which is un-
known in Europe, the great leading object of which is to
substitute correct and effective operations of machinery for
184 UAMDEN OSNTBNART.
that skill of the artist which is acquired only by long prac-
tice and experience; a species of skill which is not pos-
sessed in this country to any considerable extent.
Having actually made about 15,000 niusket.s, at least
equal in quality to any that have been manufactured in this
country, (which is more than has been accomplished by any
other individual in the United States), he feels himself war-
ranted by his own experience and success in believing that
the New Methods which he has invented of working met-
als and forming the several parts of a musket, are practi-
cally useful and highly important to his country.
He would further state that the principal part of his
property is vested in buildings, machinery, etc., suitable
for carrying on the manufacture of muskets, which build-
ings, etc., cannot be converted to any other use without a
great sacrifice, and he therefore wishes to continue in the
business, and begs leave respectfully to submit to the con-
sideration of Government whether it be for the interest of
the United States to give him employment for such length
of time, and upon such terms, as to afford a fair prospect
of a reasonable profit for his labour.
**E. Whitney.
^^ Washington, 29th June, 1812."
As in regard to the originality of the invention of the
cotton gin an effort was made to show that it was not new,
so, even in these later days, there have not been wanting
persons who have endeavored to take from Mr. Whitney
the credit of originating the uniformity system and making
it a great practical success at the beginning of this century,
thus leading in the van of the progress of the mechanic
arts, and laying the foundations for the enormous industrial
development of the nineteenth century. The letter to Mr.
Wolcott, May 1, 1798, (page 121, of this History), contains
the important paragraph, " I am persuaded that machinery
moved by water adapted to this business would greatly
diminish the labor and facilitate the manufacture of this
1II8T0BI0AL AND DEaORIPTIVE, 186
article [muskets]. M*achines for forging, rolling, floating,
boreing, grinding, jiolisliing, etc., may all be made use of to
advantage." This alone gives us, by inference, a picture of
the condition of the art of making arms at that time. It
was strictly a manvfacture by gunsmiths in their little
shops. It was hand work; lock, stock and barrel were
made by the smith, working first on one part and then on
another, building up a musket each by itself, and conse-
quently no two pieces were alike or could be interchanged.
By this slow and unsystematic method, the government,
obviously, could not be supplied with arms in large num-
bers at short notice. It was Whitney's mission to solve
the problem, and give to his country, not only arms in
quantity, but arms of superior mechanism, workmanship
and low cost, having, also, the important principle of in-
terchangeability of parts.
Eli Whitney started this manufacture of fire arms under
peculiar difficulties, and it is safe to assert that if he had
not already formulated in his mind a new method and sys-
tem of manufacturing, he would never have had the cour-
age to undertake to make ten thousand muskets for the
United States. Although this number may appear small
and even insignificant beside the large numbers now turned
out from the armory, and from the immense establishments
of the government, it was a large number for that period,
and it is surprising that anyone should have been found to
t«nko su(5h a risk and responsibility. The manufacture of
military fire arms in quantity had not been undertaken in
this country. The arms used in the Revolutionary War
had been obtained from France or other countries by run-
ning the blockade. A few gun barrels were imported.
Tliere were some gunsmiths, lil?:e other mechanics, in the
country, repairing and perhaps now and then making a gun
or two in the old way, one at a time. There were no skilled
workmen in the country whom Mr. Whitney could call
about him to undertake such a giant task. Neither were
there, at that early date, the machine tools which now so
186 RAMDEN CENTBNABT.
simplify and cheapen, while ensuring accurate mechanical
operations. There were no engine lathes, no planers, no
milling, slotting or drilling machines ; all these were yet to
be evolved, but we may believe existed in an embryotic
form in the mind of Whitney. To the ordinary mechanic
of that day, the production of ten thousand complete mus-
kets seemed an almost endless and impossible task. But to
the young inventor, who had already had great exi)erience
in mechanical matters, and who, by his cotton gin, had rev-
olutionized, or we may say created, the cotton industiy for
the United States and the world, the way was clear. He
had projected the new system destined to replace all the old
methods, and to inaugurate a new era of industrial life, not
only in the making of fire arms, but in the production of
any article or machine required in great numbera. This
new system is that now known as the Uniformity System,
under which our great manufacturing establishments are
now conducted, especially those for the fabrication of anns,
watches, clocks, sewing machines and all other complicated
pieces of mechanism required in great numbers. The sys-
tem consists in making each separate part of a machine
independently of the particular machine it is to form a
portion of. The parts being made so nearly alike in form
and finish that any one of them may be tal?:en to fill the
place for which it was designed, and if one piece becomes
injured or broken another piece can be substituted without
the necessity of being changed in form or specially fitted.
In other words, parts having the same function, in each
different piece of mechanism of the same kind, being made
exactly alike, may be substituted or interchanged one with
another. This maybe said to constitute the uniformity
system. This uniformity of parts was secured by Mr, Wliit-
ney in various ways, but as far as possible by machine
work, so that the form and finish of the pieces were not
dependent directly upon the variable and uncertain move-
ments of the hands, the accuracy of the human eye, or the
skill and intelligence of the workman. Whitney secured it
mSTOmOAL AND DS80BIPTIVE, 187
at first by means of patterns, guides, templets, gauges and
jigs.
With these accessories the operations on each part
became simple and direct. Any ordinary unskilled me-
chanic, without previous training, could soon learn to make
one of the parts to perfection, acquiring special dexterity
and rapidity of execution of the manual work required in
guiding the machine, or following the guides provided for
him. Such a workman, though ignorant of the operations
required of others, or perhaps of the machine upon a part
of which he is working, becomes specially expert in the
work assigned to him, and he soon prefers to work by the
piece rather than by the hour. While the system secures
all the advantages of the division of labor and of great
skill in the fabrication of the parts separately, it does not
tend to make first-class skilled workmen in a general way.
The workman becomes to a great degree merely the adjunct
of a machine, and the inventive faculties are not aroused.
We should also remember that all workmen are not born
to be inventors and originators, and that the machines
make places for many men who would never attain suffi-
cient manual skill to enable them to succeed as general ar-
tisans. But while the system of division of labor, and mak-
ing parts of machines with approximate uniformity, may
be in one way destructive to the artistic development of
the workman, it brings in the new beauties of uniformity,
and precision of workmanship in the finished product, and
so far cheapens production, and stimulates other manufac-
tures, that thousands of men may enjoy many of the con-
veniencies and luxuries of life, which, under the old meth-
ods of production, would be possible only to the wealthy
few. By thus promoting the general prosperity and ren-
dering the rapid advance of civilization possible, the true
interests of art and artists are promoted rather than re-
pressed or restricted.
Mr. Whitney's determination to introduce this new sys-
tem of manufacturing, by making all the parts separately
18
188 HAMDEN 0BNTENAR7.
and indei)endently one of the other, and afterwards assem-
bling them to make the complete piece, was ridiculed and
laughed at by the French and English ordnance officers
to whom he explained it. It was said that by his system
every arm would be a model, and that arms so made
would cost enormously. Even at Washington the sys-
tem could not at first be understood. After advancing so
much money there was sui*prise and uneasiness that not
a single gun had been completed, and it became neces-
sary for Mr. Whitney to go on to Washington and ex-
plain the whole plan and system in detail. Taking with
him ten pieces of each part of a musket, he exhibited
them to the Secretary of War and a few army officers in-
vited to be present. Not a single arm was presented to
their view, but a succession of piles of the different parts.
Mr. Whitney, selecting one part indiscriminately from
each of the piles, rapidly put the parts together and pro-
duced a musket, then another, and another musket, until
the ten complete muskets had been set up. The old idea
was that each musket had to be built up by making each
part as needed, one part being fitted to another part, but
not necessarily with exact uniformity of the similar parts
of different muskets.
Amongst other minor improvements in the construction
of muskets, the bronze, or brass pan, for the fiint lock mus-
ket was introduced by Mr. Whitney. The ordinary iron
pan became rapidly corroded by the burning powder, and
the substitution of bronze was a simple but important
change. He also was the first to introduce and use milling
machines in the fabrication of arms. Many of the machines
and machine tools in use to-day at the government armories
had their germs in the machines constructed in Hamden by
Mr. Whitney.
As the success of Mr. Whitney's methods became known
and appreciated he was called upon for advice in several
directions. Amongst others, the government armory at
Springfield sought his aid, and he parted with some of his
JIiaTOmOAL AND DE80RIPTIVK 189
best workmen of general knowledge, whom he had familiar-
ized with his system and plans, to go to Springfield and in-
troduce his system there. It was a long time, however, be-
fore Mr. Whitney's uniformity system was generally adop-
ted. Even so late as the World's Exhibition of 1861, the
exhibition of a number of American rifles, made upon the
Whitney interchangeable system, excited so much atten-
tion amongst military men that the British government
sent a commission of oflBlcers to this country to examine the
methods of manufacture; and American gun making ma-
chines, especially milling machines, were extensively or-
dered. Russia, Prussia, Spain, Turkey, Sweden, Den-
mark and other countries, have since been supplied with
American machinery for the manufacture of anns.
THE WHITNEY ARMS COMPANY.
After the death of Mr. Eli Whitney, in 1826, the works
at the Armory remained in chai^ge of his nephews, Mr. Eli
Wliitney Blake and Philos Blake, for ten years, until 1836.
From that date until 1842 they were managed by Ex-Gov-
ernor Edwards, the trustee of Mr. Whitney's estate. In the
latter part of the year 1842, Mr. Eli Whitney, Jr., the only
son of the inventor of the Cotton Gin, assumed the imme-
diate control of the establishment.
The capacity of the works at that time was not greater
than the production of from 1,000 to 1,600 flint lock mus-
kets a year, and they were entirely inadequate to the
increased demands rapidly growing upon them. The ma-
chinery had grown old and much worn, and, owing to the
changes in the model of the government arms and the intro-
duction of the percussion cap, much of the machinery was
out of date and useless.
The power in 1842 to drive the factory was derived from,
two under-shot iron water wheels fourteen feet in diameter
and six feet wide. These were set so low that the tide
backed up the water against them for two or three feet and
140 UAMDI&N iJICI^TlCJNAUy.
necessitated frequent stoppage of the works, causing incon-
venience ^and loss. Efforts were made to add to the eflEec-
tive power of these wheels by raising them eighteen inches
and enclosing the bottom portions with side planking, so
as to form a trough to guide the water. With these changes
each wheel gave about ten horse power. The polishing
works at that time were run by one little flutter wheel.
The first government contract for making rifles was
obtained in 1842. The United States had at that time
brought out a new model of rifle known as the ** Har-
per's Ferry Rifle," a muzzle loader. It was ^ calibre,
and intended to carry a half -ounce ball. It was brass-
mounted and had iron barrels, lap-welded. It was the
first percussion lock rifle ever made by the United States,
all before that date being with flint locks. Mr. Whit-
ney, soon after taking charge, began to experiment with
steel for rifle barrels in place of iron, and was the first
to introduce this material, using a mild, soft steel made by
Sanderson Brothers of Sheffield, England. He gave it the
name of "decarbonized steel," which it retains in this
country and in Europe. Many of the iron, lap-welded bar-
rels were welded by Scoville, of Higganum, Conn. The
Harper's Ferry government rifle barrels were made of iron,
welded longitudinally. As early as the year 1846, Mr.
Whitney commenced making improvements in the machines
for drilling rifle and gun barrels. He constructed them so
that the barrel would revolve as well as the drills, and ar-
ranged the parts so that the barrels could be readily lifted
out of the machine to clear out the drillings and chips.
Mr. Whitney's results were so encouraging that in 1847,
during the Meidcan war, when Jelferson Davis, then
colonel of a Mississippi regiment, wrote to the Ordnance
Department at Washington, for the best rifles that could
be procured, Colonel Talcott, chief of the Ordnance Bureau,
arranged with the Whitney Armory to supply them. The
rifles were made with steel barrels. They reached and were
issued to the regiment in good order, and were much ad-
HIBTORIOAL AND DE80BJPTIVE. 141
mired. They were manifestly so far superior to the rifles
supplied to other regiments that at Vera Cruz the men of
one regiment actually refused to go forward until they
could have the same kind of rifle issued to them. Colonel
Davis was so greatly pleased with the Hew rifles that, of his
own accord, he wrote to the chief of the Ordnance Depart-
ment that he doubted whether so many fine rifles had ever
been issued to any regiment in the world. He complimented
the Ordnance Department upon the judicious selection of the
arm. Subsequently Colonel Davis told Mr. Whitney of his
admiration of the rifles, and said that while in Mexico one of
his men went out shooting and brought in twenty pigeons,
each with its head cut off by the ball, showing not only the
skill of the marksman but the excellence of the rifle. Some
7,400 or 8,000 rifles of this make were supplied to the
United States, and since then, up to 1856, Mr. Whitney had
supplied some 30,000 or more of this model of rifle to the
United States.
At the present time all military and sporting arms have
their barrels made of mUd steel, flrst drilled and then rolled
down upon a mandril, or core, smaller than the finished
bore.
Siemens Martin rolled steel is used. Eods about two
inches in diameter are first cut into pieces or '* molds"
about a foot in length, weighing about nine pounds. These
are drilled out longitudinally in the center, and are then
heated and rolled down.
In 1848 Mr. Whitney decided to put in one of the new
pattern four foot Merrick and Towne turbine wheels. Tur-
bines at that time were but little known, and when the new
wheel arrived at the armory the old hands were greatly
amused with its insignificant appearance and ridiculed the
idea that so small a wheel could do more than the two large
ones. However, in spite of the general incredulity, the
pit was blasted out, and the wheel set and started, and to
the utter astonishment of the old men, gave more power
than the old wheels. This wheel ran steadily until the be-
142 UAMDRli VKNTB^Alty,
ginning of the war, when a new wheel, one of the National
Water Wheel Companies' make was put in. The works
are now run by one thirty-inch wheel, which, with a head
of thirty-five feet of water, gives one hundred and seventy-
five horse power. A twenty-f our-inoh wheel at the forging
shop gives about sixty horse power.
The armory now has machinery equal in quality to that
of any armory in the United States. The company manu-
factures both military and sporting rifles; single shot
breech-loading and repeating rifles of the most approved
invention and construction. Mr. Whitney has made many
original designs and improvements in the modem magazine
rifle. Almost every breech-loading and magazine rifle sys-
tem of note has been improved upon by him, though but
few of his improvements have been manufactured by him.
The cost of tools and fixtures to be applied to the machin-
ery for making a new arm is heavy, amounting to many
thousands of dollars. One form of arm extensively made
at this armory for foreign countries can be turned out at
the rate of fifty thousand per annum, if required. Orders
for this arm are frequently received.
Much of the machinery now in use at the armories of the
country, either originated at the Whitney armory, or has
been improved upon there. The arms manufactured there
still maintain their reputation for superior construction and
finish.
Gen. 0. B. Norton, in his work upon "American Inven-
tions and Improvements in Breech-Loading Small Arms,"
etc., published in the year 1862, says of this Armory:
"The Whitneyville Armory, property of the Wliitney
Arms Co., is now one of the largest in the United States.
It is located near New Haven, in the State of Connecti-
cut, and has a capacity for employing over five hundred
men, being supplied with all the modern improvements in
machinery, and now under the control of the son and
grandson of the founder, who have added many valuable
improvements."
lUbWRlijAJj AND DtHSVRlPTlVB, 148
** Tlie system of breech-loading small arms, known as the
•Whitney system,' had its origin at this Armory, and
was based upon the Laidley gun, patented in 1866. The
manufacture of this arm has, for several years, been super-
seded by the Whitney Improved Remington Gun, Mr.
Wliitney having made great changes in it, so as to render
it safer to use. Almost every well-known system of fire
arms has been improved upon by Mr. Whitney, and he
has recently brought forward a new magazine rifle, pos-
sessing all the advantages of the best rifle in the market,
and with greater simplicity of construction. The lever
has short motion, and the workmanship is of the highest
grade."
The establishment, at present, 1886, consists of eight
principal buildings and a separate brick office, completed
in July, 1886. These buildings are the gun-barrel shop,
80 X 30 feet ; milling shop, 46 x 30 feet ; main armory, of
brick, 100x40 feet, built in 1860 to replace one burned ; an-
nealing building, 60x16 feet ; foundry, 100x60 feet ; assem-
bling building and warehouse, 64x30 feet. There are also
ten or m6re dwellings besides the boarding-house, erected
for the convenience and comfort of the operatives. The
village, built by the elder Whitney, consisted of six houses
of stone, covered with stucco, in one row, along the front
of the base of Mill Rock. Some of these buildings were
removed when the construction of the high dam rendered
a change in the direction of the road necessary. The car-
penter shop is the only one of the Armory buildings now
standing that was erected by the elder Whitney.
The Whitney Arms Company was organized in the year
1864, by Mr. Eli Whitney, under a charter granted by the
Legislature of the State of Connecticut, and its operations
have since been conducted by Mr. Whitney, the principal
stockholder. The officers in 1887 are : Eli Whitney, Presi-
dent and Treasurer; Eli Whitney, Jr., Assistant Treasurer;
Wallace H. Bradley, Secretary.
144 HAMDBN 0BNTBNAB7.
BOBING TOOLS, AUGSBS, GIMLETS, 1&T0.
W. A. IVEB at 00.
This factory is upon Mill River about a mile below Cen-
terville and iive miles from New Haven center. Here all
descriptions of augers, bits and gimlets are made and
shipped to all parts of the world.
The Willis Churchill Mfg. Co. was incorporated July 29,
1853, with a capital of $76,000 ; one-third paid in. In
March, 1865, W. A. Ives was elected treasurer, and in
November, 1865, the capital was all paid in. The Hamden
Auger Company was organized January 10, 1857, with Mr.
W. A. Ives as president, who is also president of the W.
A. Ives Company, organized March 27, 1863, for the manu-
facture of hardware and tools from iron, steel and other
metals. Capital, $46,000.
OANDBB RUBBER FACTORY.
The manufacture of rubber goods was established at Cen-
terville, and carried on for several years until the business
grew to such proportions that it could be conducted to
better advantage in New Haven, to which place it was
removed. The present organization is known as the L.
Candee Company, of which Mr. Henry L. Hotchkiss is
president, and Charles L. Johnson, secretary.
MOUNT OARMBL AXLE WORKS.
BY JAMBS lYBS.
About the year 1830 Mr. Elam Ives, who had worked
upon the construction of several sections of the New Haven
and Northampton canal and had lost heavily financially by
the failure of the company, conceived the idea of utilizing
the water for power in manufacturing. The projectors of
the canal had been disappointed by the great loss of water
in the sandy and gravelly soils of the route, and especially
on Hamden Plains, where the escape of water through the
mSTOmOAL AND DBaOBIPTIVE. 145
sand into Mill River and Beaver Ponds was so great ns to .
require an extra and constant supply in order to float the '
boats and their freight. There was a large and constant ;
flow through the lock on Mr. Ives' farm, which had been
cut in two by the canal, and by running the water around,
instead of through the lock, a very good water power was
secured.
He erected the factory now owned by D. H. Cooper, and
this building is without doubt the birthplace of hardware
manufacturing in the town of Hamden, as well as the first
locality of carriage and harness hardware manufacturing
by machinery and power in the United States. Here Par-
sons and Jason Ives, in 1833, opened the manufacture of
iron carriage axles, somewhat after the present style of
goods and process of making, and had established consid-
erable trade through the agency of a younger brother,
Henry Ives.
This, without question, was the first development in Am-
erica of making iron carriage axllBS by machinery — ^using
the engine lathe and boring machine, for turning and fit-
ting the arm and box of the axle.
Previous to 1833 wagons and carriages had been almost
entirely run on axles formed of wood, the arm being inlaid
with an iron skein with a shoulder on the back, and a nut
or linchpin on the front end, to keep the wheels in place —
the hubs of which were lined with cast-iron boxes, set in
each end.
Axles of this kind were continued in use for many years,
and in the hands of such men as Norman Warner, of New
Britain— the celebrated maker of southern peddler's wagons
— ^they fairly challenged the competition of the best iron
axles.
Thefewii'on axles used previous to 1833 were mostly
made in the smith shop, out of square bar iron, the beds
hammered flat by hand and the arms swedged round to fit
the pipe boxes, which were made of iron plates. The col-
19
146 UAMDEN OBNTSNAUT.
lars on the arm, back of the box, were forged separately
and afterwards shrnnk on tight.
To procure a proper fitting they were ground in by hand.
A long wrench was applied to the box, and with the axle in
a vise the stout apprentice boy might, by a plentiful use of
oil and emery, take his first step towards his ultimatum as
carriage maker— a step which a Brewster and many others
have gloried to relate from their high eminence in after
life.
NEW HAVEN WEB COMPANY.
The business of fabricating webbing of various kinds was
started by Bela A. Mann, Ward Coe and Joseph IS. Leav-
enworth, July Ist, 1863, in the building formerly occupied
by the L. Candee Rubber Company, by the side of Mill
river, a short distance south of Centerville. The work
commenced upon a small scale, and with on*e loom only, of
a peculiar and novel construction, invented and made upon
the spot by Mr. Mann. He even made his own patterns,
and succeeded so well in the face of many obstacles, that
he procured a patent from the United States covering his
improvements, and with his associates organized a joint
stock company for the purchase of the invention, and the
more vigorous conduct of the manufacture, in January,
1864. The capital stock was $25,000.
The business increased, and further improvements were
made in the machinery, and, on the 26th day of October,
1865, the present company was formed, taking the same
name as the first, but increasing the capital to $60,000. In
January, 1866, a few months after the new organization was
effected, the real estate which before had been rented from
the L. Candee Co. was purchased, and has since been held
by the Web Company.
On the twenty-seventh day of September, 1876, all the
buildings were destroyed by fire, but were immediately
replaced by much more substantial structures. The new
building, constructed of brick, completed in January, 1876,
555
i
s
8
HiaTORIOAL AND DBSORIPTIVE. 147
was one hundred and twenty-five feet in length and forty-;
five feet in width, and in the year 1884 was extended by;
the addition of eighty feet more in length, making the total ^
length of the building, at the present time, two hundred
and five feet, and forty-five feet broad, with an L in the
rear. It is three stories high and is filled with machinery
for weaving all kinds of plain and fancy webbing. The gen-
eral appearance of the works as seen from the northwest is
shown by the accompanying illustration. There is also a
store house 113 feet by 26 feet, a building for the dyeing,
one for the water wheels and gearing, stables and sheds,
and also four dwelling houses and nine tenements.
Three of the houses were recently built especially for the
operatives.
The power is supplied by two 42-inch turbine water
wheels and one fifty horse power engine with two 48-inch
fifteen feet tubular boilers.
The machinery consists of one hundred and five 24-
piece looms, warpers, spoolers, braiders, etc., also all thel
machinery necessary for building looms; the company man-
ufacturing its own looms.
One hundred and twenty-five persons are employed.
The goods manufactured generally known as ** webbing,"
consist of both elastic and non-elastic webbing, such as is
used for making suspenders for men, for boots and shoes,
for women's underwear, for braid, etc., etc. The materials
used consist of rubber thread, cotton yarns and silk floss or
thread. These goods are shipped directly to New York,
and are on sale at the company's salesroom, No. 73 Leon-
ard street. New York.
The company has made up some suspenders, but the bulk
of the webbing made for this manufacture is sold, to other
manufacturers.
The officers of the company are:
Henry L. Hotchkiss, Eben Gilbert, M. F. Tyler, Ward
Ooe, James H. Parish— directors.
148 HAMDBN OENTENABT.
Mr. Hotohkiss is president ; Mr. Ward Coe, secretary and
treasurer, and Bela A. Mann, superintendent. The capital
of the company, $60,000, is all paid in.
The suspender webbing is profusely decorated with silk
in various colors, and the demand for new and striking de-
signs is such that it is found necessary to keep an artist, or
designer, constantly at work for the firm.
OABBIAGE HABDWARE.
'WOODRUFF, MILLBR ft CO.
Woodruff, Miller & Company represent the oldest and
best equipped carriage hardware works — in their line of
goods — ^in the United States. It being mostly confined to
brass and malleable iron castings— the former finished and
plated with silver, gold or nickel— the lattet tinned, japanned
or plain, as required. Their predecessors, having for half a
century, in their catalogues— in addition to regular goods —
invited orders for any special articles pertaining to their
business and being prepared to desijgn and make patterns for
their customers when desired, the accumulation of patterns
in the works has become large, and enables them to supply
almost any thing in their line promptly to order. The busi-
ness was established by James Ives, youngest son of Elam
Ives, in 1835, under the name of the Mount Carmel Brass
Works. In the same building on the canal with the * 'Mount
Carmel Axle Works," as already recorded, Willis Churchill
from Bristol, had opened the manufacture of brass surgical
instruments — ^the first works of the class in the country —
all such goods then being imported. Mr. Churchill was a
mechanic of rare ability, original in the style of his goods,
and in his process of manufacture, which gave him an ad-
vantage in his business, and qualified him for instructing
others in mechanics. James Ives, the youngest son of Elam
Ives, at about the age of 17, put himself under his instruction
—working for eight dollars a month and boarding himself —
anxious only to get a thorough and practical knowledge of
HISTORHjAL AMD JJE801U PTJ VE, . 149
mechanics, which was then requisite for a young man in;
order to get a job in a shop or to maintain a respectable
position in any manufacturing department. The modern i
idea of dependence upon a membership in a labor league,
or the more ridiculous scheme of arbitration, or the labor
commission appointed by the State, was not then thought
of, and the discussions now entertained in our legislatures
by political schemers, ostensibly for the benefit of the labor-
ing class, would then have been spurned as an insult by any
workman esteeming himself above the level of pauperism.
The learning a trade by young Ives proved especially
advantageous to him, as Mr. Churchill soon removed to
the lower part of the town, where he established a new
water power and the business of making augers; result-
ing in the building of a new village, now called Auger-
ville. Young Ives was thus left to depend upon his
own resources; viz., a good trade, with a knowledge of
mechanics, which he had studied night and day, and most
ardently loved. With no capital, except an example
of industry, and a wise and frugal training by godly
parents, whom he desired to honor, he resolved to do
what he could towards the consummation of his father's
wishes when he hazarded his all in his old age by build-
ing the large factory— which it was in those days— for the
encouragement and accommodation of manufacturing in
his native town.
Very naturally, in view of the carriage axle business begun
by his brothers, and the favorable location near New Haven,
which was then the foremost city in the United States for the
manufacture of carriages, and he, having for two or three
years been engaged in the brass business, adopted the busi-
ness of making solid brass carriage and harness hardware,
which, as a manufacturing industry, was then unknown in
the country. It may be noted here that brass mounted
carriages and harness were then entirely used where metal
ornaments were called for. The electro-plating of silver was
unknown till sometime later.
160 HAMDBN OENTBNABT.
Thus in 1836, at the age of twenty, he launched into the
then unpopular line of making American goods to compete
with trade in foreign goods, which was in the hands of
rich capitalists, affording large profits from little effort.
Possessing a natural aversion to copying from the pat-
terns of others he pursued the opposite course, and has
reason to congratulate himself on the large success of his
efforts. Room would not here allow the list of new designs
and patterns of goods successfully offered by him for the
approval of the carriage and harness trade diiring the last
fifty years.
The first issue of goods was an entirely new pattern of
brass hub bands for public and private coaches in New York
city, designed to take the place of an English style then in
use, which it inost affectually accomplished. They were
from 6 to 6 inches in diameter, with a close cap over the
front to protect from view the ends of large axles then in
use. The weight Of the English pattern was 25 lbs. per set—
the new ones about 16 lbs. These bands of highly polished
brass were then in general use in the city, which with other
corresponding mountings, kept in high order, were very
fashionable. Sheldon Smith, the founder of Birmingham,
Conn., and Isaac Pryor, to whom he sold his goods, were
then the principal dealers in such goods in New York, The
first harness goods made of solid brass, were sold to A. R.
Van Nest, now a New York millionaire. It may be men-
tioned here that Cornelius Van Horn, now in business in
New York, was then clerk with Sheldon Smith.
The first brass castings for carriage goods were made by
Wm. H. Smith, of New Britain and shipped from Plain-
ville to Mount Carmel by canal. A small brass foundry
was then built, and the first brass castings for harness goods
were made by Geo. D. Colbum, now of the town of Union,
Conn., which he has repeatedly represented in our legisla-
ture. The first assistant pattern maker— having learned
his trade in the works— ^was Lyman I. Todd, the founder
and present manager of the Union Brass Co., of Chicago,
JII8T0RI0AL AND DESCRIPTIVE. 161
producing more than half the railroad car trimmings used
in our country. He is a native of our town, bom close to
the factory. George Bradley, a good and faithful friend
and workman, was his successor for over thirty years.- He
now lives in New Haven, where he learned his trade at
brass work and assisted his father Nehemiah Bradley, in
making the &fst church bells produced in this country.
In 1842 the works were removed from the canal power to
a mill seat on Mill River, located and built by Andrew Hall
in 1835 ; the construction of which involved a heavy ex-
pense, and with buildings added, and their subsequent de-'
struction by fire, largely damaged Mr. Hall financially ; yet
much honor is due to him for the conception and thorough
construction of a water power so remarkable for its safety
and convenience. The dwellings now standing in a row
south of the factory were also built by him.
Here upon the ruins of the fire, James Ives, assisted by
Geo. F. H. Read, of New Haven, built a factory of tvood,
two hundred and fifty feet long, continuing and largely in-
creasing the same business, in the name of James Ives &
Co., Mr. Read being a silent partner only. In this form
the works were fairly successful, considering the frequent
panics in the finances of the country, amounting even to
repeated suspensions of the banks in specie payments, in-
flicting hardships on manufacturers unknown to modern
times. The works always enjoyed the reputation of mak-
ing goods approved of by consumers, and obtained from
five to ten per cent, higher prices than their competitors.
In making brass they always used old copper brought from
the West Indies. For many years previous to the war they
were under contract with the late Mr. N. H. Gaston of New
Haven, to take all his vessels might bring from Barbadoes,
which, in addition to his cargo of molasses, often amounted
to three or four thousand dollars. The price of the copper
by contract was proportioned to the market value of new
ingot, and the price of brass two-thirds the price of copper;
the value of copper fluctuating from twenty-two to thirty
162 HAMDBN 0BNTENAR7.
cents per pound. The present price of new ingot copper,
(1885) is ten cents per pound. The unvarying price of sil-
ver for twenty-five years before the war (1861) was $1.60 per
ounce. When the brass company commenced in 1835 all coal
was boiaght in the lump and broken at the factory. Truman
Benedict, the grandfather, of the present Benedicts, was
about the only dealer in New Haven. In 1842 the first
coal by the cargo was bought and landed on Belle dock, then
just completed. Lucius Ives, who did the teaming for both
the Axle and Brass works, carted the coal from the pile on
the dock to the factory for one dollar per net ton. With one
two horse team* he made two trips a day, carrying two tons
at a time. On the return at noon he would have a load of
manufactured goods for the steamboat. Then no portion of
the road was paved or graded even in the city ; now the
two and a half miles from Whitney ville to the steamboat
is graded and paved, greatly reducing the labor of carting
from New Haven to Mount Carmel.
In 1855 the Mount Carmel Brass works was changed to a
joint stock company, under the name of Ives, Pardee Mfg.
Co., with a capital of $50,000. It paid James Ives & Co. for
their property, 2fif, 000 dollars. The officers were James
Ives, president, and B. S. Pardee, secretary and treasurer,
with Stephen D. Pardee, treasurer of the New Haven Sav-
ings Bank, A. P. Barnes . and John Durrie, merchants of
New Haven, and Henry Seaman of New York, as directors.
The new company, after buying the defunct Malleable Iron
Works, located on the same water power with them, were
well prepared to do business to the best advantage and for
a few years were successful. The first year showed a profit
of twenty per cent on their capital, a part of which was
by the vote of directors, appropriated to the building of a
brick brass foundry one hundred feet long, with twelve fur-
naces, ten of which were put into constant use. But in course
of time it was discovered that while rich bankers and mer-
chants had money they also had friends who wanted office.
The result was that the friends got the offices while their sup-
HIBTOBIOAL AND DBBORIPTIVB. 168
porters and all other stockholders lost their money, and
after five years of folly, the bankrupt estate paid three
cents on a dollar, wasting a capital of 60,000 dollars.
James Ives, who during this time had been only a looker-
on and a sufferer, was invited by the disappointed direc-
tors to see what could be done with the propeiijy; the result
of the consultation was that he, in company with J. A. Gran-
niss, bought it, and in the name of Ives & Granniss, under
an agi'eement never to give a business note— after nine
years of hard but successful labor, they had fully redeemed
the reputation which the work sustained previous to the
manceuvrings of the stock company, and established a flour-
ishing money making business, much to their own comfort'
and the gratification of all concerned. At this period it
was deemed prudent that the office and sales department
should be under the management of a younger man, and by
mutual agreement Mr. Granniss disposed of his interest to
W. W. Woodruff and Wm. Wilcox, the former assuming
the executive department, while Mr. Ives continued in the
pattern and manufacturing department. Under this arrang-
ment, in the name of Ives, Woodruff and Co. the works
prospered to a remarkable degree for about twelve years,
with nothing to complain of except at times an over run of
orders, and just here it is a noteworthy fact characterizing
all the manufacturing in Mount Carmel, that no drununers
have ever been employed to travel and sell the goods pro-
duced, and very rarely an advertisement has been published
in the papers. Ives & Granniss during a business
of nine years expended less than two hundred dol-
lars for travel, and not a cent for advertising, yet when
the trade was transferred to Ives & Woodruff in 1870, the
books contained the names of customers who had been pa-
trons of the works over thirty years without intermission,
and they or theii* successors are still on the books of Wood-
ruff, Miller & Co., in 1886. After Mr. Woodruff assumed
his position, he more frequently represented the business
through the country to the trade with whom he had be-
20
Ita HAMDBN OBNTSINART.^
come acquainted in Ms previous business life, to which
fact maybe attributed largely the flourishing condition
which the business so unifonnly maintained. In 1883,
after an almost uninterrupted business of nearly fifty
years Mr. Ives desired to retire and readily bargained with
his partner, Mr. Woodruff, Frederick Ives, Willis E. Mil-
ler, Henry Ives and Arthur E. Woodruff for the disposal
of his half of the property and business, who organized
under the name of Woodruff, Miller & Co., and under
which name it continues to flourish and improve.
ELLIPTIC AND THOROUQH-BBAOB OARRIAQE SPRINGS.
The inventor of the carriage spring, now in universal
use, was an occasional resident of the town of Hamden,
and his widow spent the last portion of her life here.
Oapt. Jonathan Mix, in 1807, secured letters patent from
the United States for ''main springs for carriages." This
patent, which was on exhibition in the Loan Collection on
the day of celebration of the Centenary, bears the signa-
tures of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, and of C.
A. Rodney, Attorney General of the* United States. The
specification is as follows :
''My main spring for carriages is a double spring, about
four feet in length, fastened lengthwise on the upper side
of a strong axle-tree, by two bolts or bands near the
middle; the ends rising about four inches, or higher if
preferred, on which are to rest the shafts of the carriage
[a chaise or two -wheeled vehicle being in view.] The
shafts are to be fastened at each end of the springs by a
bolt fastened through the shaft, the end of the spring, the
axle-tree and the stay, and there secured by a nut; the
bolt being made to play easily through the spring and the
axle-tree to permit the spring to "rise and fall. The work
may be strengthened by two bars passing from the shaft to
the stay, one on each side of the spring and axle, so that
the spring and axle will play easily between them.
mSTOBIOAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. 166
'*The spring may be made of steel in leaves, or of wood,
plated with iron or steel, or of wood only, or any other
suitable materials.
'' The spring may also be made straight and fastened by
bolts or bands to the underside of the axle-tree, and .the
stays rest on the end of the springs, thus supporting the
shgits and carriage, secured by bolts ahd bars in the
manner aforesaid.
*'The principle of the invention consists in reducing the
springs of the carriage to one, and fixing that to the centre
of the axle-tree and supporting the shafts on it.
^*It may be applied to wagons, coaches or other car-
riages.''
PATENT FOB THOROUGH-BRAOE SPRINGS FOR CARRIAGES.
[This patent was issued June 17, 1808, and is likewise
signed by President Jefferson and by James Madison,
Secretary of State, and C. A. Rodney, Attorney General.]
The specification is as follows :
"The thorough-braces for four-wheeled carriages in the
most simple form are strong bars passing under each side
of the body and resting on the ends of Mix's main or axle-
tree springs and there secured by bolts; or if the thorough-
braces are required to have more elasticity, they must ter-
minate, after passing the body, in leaf springs at each end
and are to be connected with the axle-tree springs either
on the top of the ends secured with a bolt passing through
a hole that will give play to the springs, or may be fastened
under the ends of the axle-tree springs by a double-jointed
shackle or by a joint or bolt at one spring, and resting on
a roller upon the other in the manner of a cradle spring.
"The thorough-braces for two- wheeled carriages consist
of a bar under each side of the body terminating at each
end in leaf springs bowing downwards, passing through a
loop under one of the cross-bars, and fastened under the
other by a double-jointed shackle so as to givq room for
166 UAMDEIT OENTBNART,
the operation of the spring, or by a joint at one end, and
resting on a toller at the other.
^* These thorough-braces may be made wholly of iron or
steel, or of wood, or wood skained with iron, and will
supersede the necessity and use of leather thorough-braces
or hangings. The principle of this invention is to substitute
iron or wooden spring thorough-braces for all carriages in
place of leather, and to give more elasticity and more dura-
bility, and at less expense."
OBRTIPIOATB OP THE EXOELLENOE OP MIX'S MAIN
AXLE-TREE' SPRINGS. — ^1811.
*^ These may certify whom it may conceme. That we,
the Subscribers, have examined Mix's Main Axle-tree
Springs for carriages and have had a trial of the utility
£|,nd the preference of those springs to any other we have
been acquainted with, we having an opportunity to ride in
a cfirriage or carriages the body of which was hung on two
of Mix's Main Springs, one being placed on the center of
the forward axle-tree, and the other on the center of the
bind axle-tree without any thorough-braces to the same,
and after mature deliberation do hereby give it as our
opinion that they are the safest and most convenient and
best springs ever invented or made use of, and do hereby
recommend them to the Publick to be used on two or four-
wheel carriages ; and ii^ our opinion a stage fixed on Mix's
Axle-tree Springs is not so liable to overset, and that they
will last much longer than those whose carriage bodies are
hung on thorough-braces, and that the horses will carry
the load easier, and the passengers will be transported
much more to their ease and satisfaction.
"All of which is submitted to the Public by the Sub-
scribers in the city of New Haven, March 15th, 1811.
*' Nathan Peck, Geo. W. Broome,
Joseph Nichols, Amos Doolittie,
Justice Butler, Wm. L. Bake well."
[And others whose names are illegible and lost.]
HI8T0EI0AL AND DE80RIPTIVB, 167
MOUNT OABMEL BOLT COMPANY.
This company was organized and incorporated in the year
1880, and has since been in successful operation. The man- ;
uf acture of stove bolts, tire bolts, rivets and a large variety
of specially made bolts, is carried on under the management
of James Ives, president, Samuel J. Hayes, treasurer,
Lyman H. Bassett, secretary, and Allen D, Osbom, super-
intendent, who hold nearly the whole stock, which is |40,-
000. The goods produced are of superior quality and sell
readily at market prices without the aid of traveling agents.
Edward P. McLane, master mechanic ever since its or-
ganization, deserves much credit for the superiority of the
machinery; he also is the inventor and patentee of the
automatic machines for making the "cold-pressed s wedged
nuts" used on tire bolts. It may be noted here that steel
instead of iron is used now for bolt making, generally on
account of its cheapness.
OAliniAGlC POLE WOHKS. /
ORAMKISB A BUSfiBLL.
The manufacture of carriage poles and other useful ob-
jects is carried on at Mount Carmel by the firm of Granniss
& Russell. The works have been in operation for about ten
years.
They make a specialty of adjustable carriage poles, of
which they are the owners of two patents, viz.: the **Ives
Carriage Pole," so-called, and the "Bishop Pole," both of
which have been and are now the most popular in the
market. They also run a wagon repair shop, and country
blacksmith shop, besides a department for making kegs for
shipping hardware, which is a great convenience to the
place. Their pole trade extends from Maine to Georgia.
PAPER BOX WORKS.
WILLIAM WITTB.
The manufacture of boxes of straw-board, which for several
years past has been carried on in New Haven, was recently
158 HAMDRN ORNTBJNAUT.
removed to Mt. Carmel, and is now under the management
of William Witte. The machines used are the invention
of Mr. Witte, and they enable him to make-superior goods
at low prices. The boxes are largely used by the manufac-
turers in the town for packing small hardware and other
goods, and the establishment of the manufacture in the
town is a great convenience.
MT. OARMEL SOBEW W0BK8.
JAMBB nrSB A B. B. PHBROB.
The manufacture of wood screws was established at
Mount Carmel by James Ives and E. S. Pierce in 1853.
Mr. Pierce is the inventor of most of the machinery for
making the screws, which are declared to be superior to any
in the market, in consequence of the peculiar construction
of the machines. James Ives is the owner at present of
these works, and he intends to organize a stock company
to purchase them and carry on the business as soon as the
machinery is fully completed and in operation.
V
MANUFAOTUBB OP PRUNING SHEARS.
JOHN T. HBNRT.
The business of manufacturing an improved form of
pruning shears, sheep shears and garden implements, was
established in the northern part of Hamden, by Mr. John
T. Henry, in 1859. The idea of making a superior article
was suggested to Mr. Henry by the late Rev. C. W. Everest,
of Centerville, who came into his store one day and in a
criticising manner asked if he could not have made a better
pair of , shears than those he was then using. On reflection
a few naoments, Mr. Henry thought he could make a much
more useful and convenient article, and he so far succeeded
that from that beginning an important business has grown
up. These shears are made with a movable curved blade
cutting against a curved jaw. The pin in the axis of move-
ment is made large and with accuracy,^ securing ease of
movement and a firm bearing of the cutting edges.
mSTOEIOAL AND DB80RIPTIVB. 159
These implements now have not only a wide market in ,
the United States, but they are sent largely to South
America, Australia and Europe. The demand for pruning
shears has been of late years largely increased in conse-
quence of the extension of orange culture in the South.
The shears are found to be useful not only in pruning but
in gathering the fruit. Another form of shears is used
amongst wool growers in trimming the feet of sheep.
SILK.
B. B. OLARK ft 00.
The manufacture of sUk thread, embroideries, tram, and
floss in the town of Hamden was begun by R. S. Clark in
the year 1875 at the place he now occupies. Starting a
novice in the business and with very limited means, and
having old, well established houses with a reputation for
first-class goods as competitors, it was a formidable under-
taldng. Having also the business to leaiii and raw hands
to teach the manufacture of silk, the early experience in
the business was costly and was anything but satisfactory.
But good goods, if put on the market, will in time find cus-
tomers, and now after eleven years in the business, Clark's
silk has gained a first-class reputation, and there is a grow-
ing demand for it. People now call for it. H* D. Clark,
son of R. S. Clark, has recently taken out a patent for a
process of covering cotton thread with silk, so that the arti-
cle made has the. appearance of genuine silli, and can be
afforded at a much less price than all silk. Formerly nearly
all silk goods were imported. Now the manufacture of silk
in this country ranks as one of the great industries.
The value of silk goods made in the United States in 1860
was $18,094.96, while in the year 1881 the value of silk
manufactured in the United States was $35,957,722. In the
same period the value of imported silks has steadily dimin-
ished.
160 HAMDBN CENTENARY,
There is little doubt that if the manufacturers of silk are
properly protected by a tariff, they will be able to supply
nearly all the demand of the country for all kinds of silk
manufactured goods.
MANUPAOTURE OP SMALL BELLS.
R. 8. CLARK ft 00. •
The manufacture of sleigh-bells and other small bells was
commenced in Hamden, in the year 1867, by R. S. Clark
and H. D. Smith, in the factory building then owned by
Ives & Granniss. Mr. Clark, in response to the historian's
request, has kindly furnished the following :
The subject of bells, of which I am called upon to write,
would, if it iticluded all kinds and the different uses that
are and have been made of them, form a subject for a
lengthy article. I propose to confine myself more particu-
larly to a history and description of the smaller bells. The
commencement of the manufacture of dose sleigh bells
does not date very far back. William Barton, of East
Hampton, Conn, an artificer during the revolutionary war,
whom the writer well remembers, and who went by the sobri-
quet of Daddy Barton, is credited as the first manufacturer
of sleigh bells. He is said to have first made them in two
parts, arid soldered the parts together. It is said he would
make a small quantity, take them to New York, Boston,
and the markets, carrying them on his person, jingling
them through the streets, and sell them. He afterwards cast
them whole. All sleigh bells are cast around a core the
size pf the inside of the bell. These cores are made in a core
mould, and at same time the jinglet is put in the core and
after the bells are cast the core is rapped out. In the early
stages of sleigh bell manufacturing the manufacturers gen-
erally used hand power only, and did not locate factories on
streams for water power, or use steam. The blast to melt
metal was obtained by blowing bellows by hand, using a
long lever, and to fine polish bells, a large wheel was
turned by hand to run the lathe for turning.
niSTORIOAL AND BBSOJRIPTIVE. 101
Henry Bush, who was an apprentice to William Barton,
lirst introduced the casting of bells, using a ladle with a blast
fire. By melting metal in this way, cheap metal, such as
the skimmings from lead crucibles in which brass has been
melted, and the waste metal from brass fins on castings can
be utilized, indeed, nearly all the metal used for small bells is
of this kind, which many years ago was considered of little
value and often thrown away. Forty years ago most of the
sleigh bells were made in New Britain, and melting was
done in graphite crucibles. When the manufacturers in
East Hampton began to use ladles and apply a blast to the
fire when melting, they could, by using the cheap stock,
make bells cheaper than New Britain manufacturers and
could undersell them, and as a consequence the New Britain
people were compelled to give up the business. In the year
1871 William H. Nichols, of East Hampton, patented a new
style of bell. It is made of sheet brass in two parts struck
out by dies, the rim of the two parts so made that by plac-
ing them under a drop they are struck together. This style
of bell had a very large sale. Some five years since a
Waterbury party patented a beU struck out whole from
sheet brass. The manufacture of sleigh and small bells has
been for many years past confined mostly to East Hampton,
Conn. Now a great many are made in Waterbury, and the
trade is divided between Waterbury and East Hampton.
Chime bells are now made and tuned, taking in the whole
octave, so that parties enjoying sleigh riding may at the
same time hear sweet music. Octaves of little bells have
also been introduced into organs and utilized in the orches-
tra. There are a great many kinds of small bells, such as
the familiar dinner bell, school bell, factory bell, jail bell,
electric bell, telephone bell, clock bell, gong bell, door bell,
nursery bell and bell rattle. In a word it is plain that the
whole civilized life is set to bell music in one shape or
another.
In the year 1867, H. D. Smith and R. S. Clark, of East
Hampton, formed a copartnership under the firm name of
21
162 liAMDKN OKNTE^AHY.
R. S. Clark & Co,, for the manufdk5ture of bells, and leased
room and power of Ives & (Jranniss. In 1871, H. D. Smith
sold his interest in the business to B. S. Clark, who has
since carried it on alone. In 1872, R. S. Clark bought the
factory and water power previously occupied by Warner &
Pierpont, and moved the business to this place, where it
has since been carried on.
BRIOK IKDU8TRY.
Tradition tells us that the first brick used in this region
were imported. We find mention, however, of a brick-
maker in the Records of New Haven as early as 1640, and
of clay pits and brick kilns somewhat later. In 1645 *' It
was propounded that Edw^ Chissfleld might have liberte to
make bricks on the plaines under the West Rocke to wch.
there is a good highway, which was allowed of." Brick
kilns on the New Haven river, the Qainnipiac, are men-
tioned in the record of the same General Court, and pro-
vision was made for a bridge over the river not far distant
j!rom them.
Although the precise date of the first efforts to make
brick within the limits of the town has not been ascertained,
it is certain that they were made on the western border of
the Qttinnipiac, a few miles below the North Haven line, a
century or more ago. The clay for the first kilns was carted
southward for two or three miles from at, or near, the north
line of the tQwn, the road leading over what has since been
proved to be a nearly continuous deposit of brick clay. Two
yards were established near where the present Quinnipiao
station is, and were worked for several years, but both were
finally abandoned. About 1870 Mr. H.- P. Shares opened a
clay bed and commenced burning brick, and since then Capt.
Crafts, and four or five others, have established brick yards,
with present total capacity of from twenty-five to thirty
millions of bricks annually. More bricks are made in the
town of Hamden than in North Haven.
UISTORIGAL AND DESGEIPTIVB. 108
According to Barber, in 1836, the brick industry of the
Quinnipiac valley, partly in the town of North Haven,
reached the extent of four and a half million bricks an-
nually.
The railway gives great facilities for the transportation
of these brick, and they are sent all over the State and even
to New York.
The clay is well adapted to the manufacture, and it is
claimed is not surpassed by any brick clay in the country.
The color is good and uniform. The shrinkage in burning
is slight, and the brick hold their form without twisting
and warping. The good qualities of these brick are becom-
ing better and more widely known, and the demand for
them is increasing.
Until recently the fuel for burning has been chestnut and
other hard woods, consuming from five thousand to six
thousand cords annually. This incessant and increasing
drain upon our forests is now somewhat lessened by the sub-
stitution of bituminous coal, which, for eighteen months
past, has been successfully used by Capt. Crafts and found
to' be cheaper than wood.
Brick moulding machines have replaced the slow process
of moulding by hand, and the green brick are dried upon
shelves instead of upon the ground, as formerly.
In the production and delivery of one thousand brick
twenty-two tons weight are handled. Each thousand weighs
two tons, and the material is handled eleven times.
Quinnipiac brick are now worth from |6 to $7 per thou-
sand at the yards.
Brick were also made in considerable quantities in the
western pai't of the town about fifty years ago, using the
clay of the valley of Wilmot brook, about a mile northwest
of the meeting house, but the manufacture has been aban-
doned at that point for over twenty years. The yards have
been turned into meadows and pastures, and only the deep
pits remain to indicate the place.
164 HAMBBN OBNTttNAHT.
NEW HAVEN lOB 00.
The ice of this company is obtained largely from Whit-
ney Lake, and is in part stored in four large ice houses on
the shore of the lake near Whitneyville, and is in part sent
directly to New Haven to fill large and small ice houses
there. The enterprise of cutting and harvesting ice in
quantity was started by Messrs. Samuel Perry, George H.,
James M. and H. A. Townshend. The present company
was organized in November, 1866, with a capital of $7,600.
About 600 tons of ice were cut at first,, but the quantity
has increased to 16,000 tons in 1886. From twenty-five
to thirty men are employed during the summer, and one
hundred and twenty-five, besides many teams, during the
harvesting season. The officers of the company now are
Jno. L. Treat, president, F. F. Bishop, secretary, treasurer
and superintendent.
HORSE HOEING AND PLANTING MAOinNES.
Mr. D. W. Shares, of Hamden, is the patentee and man-
ufacturer of a number of important labor saving machines
for hoeing and planting.
He is a practical farmer ; he invented these machines for
his own use, but after learning their utility, and wishing
his brother farmers to share in their benefits, has introduced
them to the public for the purpose of doing good and mak-
ing money. He has raised potatoes the past season, with
these machines, on very weedy land, without the use of the
common hoe at aU, either in planting or hoeing, and the
labor performed in hoeing an acre for the season was less
than one day.
The hoeing machines are manufactured of three diflferent
sizes; the planting and hoeing machines of two sizes.
These machines were exhibited at the Connecticut State
Fair, held at New Haven, at three County Fairs, and at the
Connecticut State Fair, held at Bridgeport, and at each
fair took the highest premium on both machines. They
have been thoroughly tested, are substantially built, and
mSTOlUOAL AND DE80RIPTIVB. 166
will wear as long as a plow. They are designed for the cnl- ,
tivation of any crops planted in rows.
The planting and hoeing machine is recommended for ;
covering potatoes, and hoeing them the first time on any
kind of land. The wings contract and expand to suit any
width rows, and can be set to any slant so as to work any
depth desired. A piece of sheet iron passes over the row
to level it down, leaving it very smooth, and in a more work-
manlike condition in all respects than the common hoe, and
in less than one quarts the time. With a corn planter at-
tached, it is recommended for planting com in large fields
and smooth land. It digs the holes, drops the com, puts
guano in the hills if necessary, and covers all at one opera-
tion, as fast as the horse can walk.
The hoeing machine is recommended for the hoeing of
com, potatoes, pumpkin, peas, beans, cotton, and hoed
crops generally, on any kind of land. The wings contract
and expand to suit any width of rows. It passes between
the rows, the share shaving the weeds from the center of
the furrow, shoving them outwai*d until they come to the
teeth, which turn inward on each side, and turn them back
again into the furrow — and also the weeds that grow on the
sides of the rows, and bury them so deep that no ordin-
ary shower will wash them out — Cleaving the earth perfectly
meUow and level ; and as the teeth turn the earth, like a
plow, all one way from the hills, it can run close to the
hiUs without injuring the roots.
When the plants require hilling, the teeth are taken
off ; the machine then shoves the earth on to the rows and
around the hills without covering up the leaves of the
plant, and the crooked form of the back part of the wings
gives the row the desired shape. The two forward teeth
can be left on, if necessary, to loosen the earth in the fur-
row at the same time.
Mr. Mason 0. Weld, a high authority in agricultural
matters, writes of the horse hoe for com culture, as fol-
lows :
166 HAMDBN OBNTBNART.
"The thorough weeding of com and potatoes, stirring the
soil, throwing fresh earth towards the rows, and leaving a
flat porous soil to receive the rains and the sunshine above
the roots of each of these crops, constitutes the perfec-
tion of culture, after planting— what concerns these crops
before that time, we do not now allude to. The implement
we have named, according to abundant and excellent testi-
mony, and according to our own practical trial of it under
not the most favorable circumstances for several years, is
calculated on free soils to do aU this labor of culture,
cheaply and well. We have seen fields of potatoes in
which, the hand hoe had not been used at all, and of com
where it was only used in planting — both looking as well as
the hand hoe with plows and cultivators too, could have
left them. To be sure the land was not very weedy, and it
was mellow and easy to work— otherwise the hand hoe
would have been, perhaps, necessary to dress out somewhat.
.A cut attached to the advertisement of this implement
shows its general shape. It is awkward enough in looks,
but not so in use. The ground is always or usually gone
over twice — once with the teeth on, throwing the earth away
from the rows, and exposing the roots of the weeds to the
sun. The next day, or after a few hours' scorching of the
weeds, the teeth are removed, the wings, or mould boards,
are dropped upon the ground, and carry the earth turned
over and loosened up, the day before, towards the rows,
leaving a slight furrow in the center, and moderately hill-
ing the com or potatoes— the weeds being thus doubly ex-
posed to the action of the sun, are very surely made way
with."
Mr. Shares is also the manufacturer of the coulter har-
row, which took the highest premium at three successive
Connecticut State Fairs, and numerous premiums at other
exhibitions of agricultural implements.
The frame, or wood work, of this implement is built in two
' forms, to more perfectly adapt it to different soils and for
different uses, the teeth being all the same kind. Its ad-
mSTORIGAL AND DE80BIPTIVE, , 167
vantages over others lie principally in the construction
of the teeth; the coulters are broad, thin blades of iron,
inclining forward so as to prevent their clogging with;
roots, stalks, stones, etc., also to cut the sods and make an
easy entrance into any kind of earth ; the mold board is
attached to the lower or back end of the coulter ; the lower
edge of the coulter is continued a short distance below the
covering portion of the tooth, to form a point, which will
elevate the teeth over stumps, stones and other impedi-
ments, and also give them durability. They are fastened
on side bars with two bolts, in a substantial manner. It
contracts and expands for convenience of transportation,
storage, etc.
On the three-cornered, or double harrow, the mold boards
on the teeth on one side being opposite from those on the
other, the forward tooth has a double mold board, turning
a furrow right and left, leaving a trench ; the next follow-
ing teeth throw the earth back again, and those following
mi up the furrows, and so on, the last, or back teeth,
having mold boards with less turn, so as to leave the land
smooth ; the operation being similar to that of a double
gang of plows. This, it will be seen, is a lifting, loosen-
ing, and pulverizing operation.
On the straight or single harrow, the teeth are all bolted
on one straight piece of timber, which is drawn by the cen-
ter piece in an oblique manner, the center piece being set
and held to its place by the brace. The advantages of this
form over the other is, that as the mold-boards all turn one
way, it leaves the land perfectly smooth, and as the center
piece is movable, it can be set straight or oblique with the
coulters, which gauge it to work deep or shallow. On
smooth and light land it is recommended to be the best,
especially for covering seed. The other form is recom-
mended as best for stony land, and leaves the land smooth
enough for ordinary purposes. In covering grain they turn
the seed all under to a uniform depth, and no matter how
many weeds, stalks, or other loose trash, there is no clog-
168 . RAMDBN OENTBNART.
ging,—- it leaves the land just as smooth, — ^and where the
land is full of fast stones there is no catching to them, con-
sequently there is no necessity for lifting the harrow up.
On turf land the draught is much less than a common
harrow of the same weight, as it takes less power to cut
through sods than it does to tear through them, like a
common harrow, and does the work much faster.
In preparing land for root crops, or grain, when it needs
plowing several times, it is only necessary to plow but once,
as all that remains can be done with this harrow in a more
workmanlike manner than with a plow, and in one-fourth
of the time, with the same team. Turf land, for most
'kinds of crops, can be plowed in the fall, or any time at
leisure, and when time to plant, harrow over, and it is in
as good order for planting as if plowed the day before.
. The harrows are made of different sizes, from the draught
of one horse to fouj^ and are adapted to all kinds of land,
except among small or low stumps. They are substantially
built of the best materials, and convenient for sending to
any part of the country.
This implement, like a plow or any other tool, works
much the best when kept clean and bright, and the pat-
entee advises all farmers that are in the habit of leaving
their tools for days or weeks in succession by the sides of
their fields, exposed to heat and storms, to rot and rust,
not to buy any of his implements, or any other of any prac-
tical value, except a spade or hoe.
GYPSUM MILL.
The water power now used at the plaster or gypsum mill,
(ground for fertilizing purposes), was first utilized by Mr.
Hart in the manufacture of wood knobs, and afterwards
for the manufacture of wheels and spokes by Beera and
Fenn. The mill was burned, and was then rebuilt by Philos
Beers, and used as a grist mill for grinding rye, bones, plas-
ter, etc. After the death of Mr. Beers, the property was
EI8T0RWAL AND DESOEIPTIVE, 169
purchased, in 1879, by A. J. Doolittle. The mill is now
controlled by Ira Beers, a son of a former owner.
SAW MILL AND FLOUR MILL,
JOHN B. AKDBBW8 * BON.
This firm has established the business of furnishing flour,
feed, coal and wood near the Mt. Carmel railway station.
The main building is sixty feet long and three stories high.
A grist mill and saw mill are connected with it, and are run
by steam power. The building stands on the ground where
Day Spring Lodge, F. and A. M., was instituted, and the
upper story has been fitted up as a hall for public meetings.
NEEDLE FACTORY.
The fabrication of sewing needles was carried on in
Hamden for twenty-one years, by J. E. & S. D. Smith,
and was then transferred to Cleveland, Ohio.
THE SFEBRY BLACKSMITH SHOF
was built by Russell Ijeek, about the year 1820, on the
Cheshire road, near present residence of Hon. Norris B.
Mix; afterwards moved to opposite residence of Willis
Benham, where it remained, being occupied at different
times by Blihu Sperry, also by his son John Sperry, until
torn down to make way for the railroad.
m
BAMDBN OSNTBNART,
SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION.
HE town is divided into thirteen school districts.
During the year ending August 31st, 1887, six-
teen teachers were employed, as shown by the
annexed list :
District No. 1.
man.
District No. d.
District No. 8.
District No. 4.
man.
District No. 4,
Miss Susie A. Dicker-
Miss Lottie Tliorp.
Miss Nellie Ives.
Mrs. H. G. Dicker-
Miss Blandina P.
Dickerman (Primary.)
Miss Louise N. Lins-
District No. 5.
ley.
District No. 6.
yens.
District No. 7.
Miss Lillian P. Bto-
Miss Stella Warner.
Miss Mary M. Augur
Miss Alice A. Dick-
Mr. Asa G. Dicker-
Miss Alice Thomas.
Miss Amelia Ilobin.
District No, 8. Miss Luthera L.Mans-
field.
District No. 8.
(Primary.)
District No. 9.
erman.
District No. 10.
man. -
District No. 11.
District No 12.
son.
District No. 18. Miss Mary P. O'Brien.
District No. 18. Miss Nellie Mulliall
(Primary.)
For school purposes the town of Hamden was originally
divided into two Societiels : the Mount Carmel School So-
ciety and East Plain School Society, embracing nine school
districts. The usual course adopted in the town was to
employ male teachers four months, during the winter, and
female teachers six months, during the remainder of the
year. The pay of female teachers was about one dollar per
week and 'Aboard round." The school houses were usually
built on the economical plan, without regard to convenience
or cojnfort. The desks were nailed to the wall around the
room, with stationary benches, over which the boys and
girls were obliged to climb, as the case demanded. The
small children had a long low bench, without back, on
which to keep quiet during the six hours of the day, and
five and a half days of the week. The expense of teachers
and incidentals was paid by the parents, according to the
attendance of the children, which was too often a bid for
absentees. Each Society appointed their school visitors,
who visited the schools, examined teachers, etc. Out of
the nine original school districts two have consolidated and
IIiaTORIOAL AND DK8CR1PTIVE, 171
five have divided, so that now we have thirteen districts, i
The districts No. 4, Mt. Carmel, No. 8, Whitney ville, and
No. 13, "Hamburg," have each a primary department, thus;
making sixteen teachers in the thirteen districts. In Jan-
uary, 1870, a vote was passed consolidating the districts
of the town under the name of the "Hamden Union School
District," but disaffection arising during the summer, re-
sulted in rescinding the vote in October following, thus re-
turning to the former course of each district selecting its
own teacher and the town paying the bills of teachers,
and a stipulated amount of incidentals.
The Board of Education is composed of nine members —
three being appointed each year for the term of three years.
The rules and regulations for the guidance of teachers are
made by the Board, and one or more of the members are
appointed acting visitors.
Attendance upon school is compulsory. The law requires
that children between the ages of 8 and 14 years, shall at-
tend regularly, at least twelve weeks in the school year,
either in the schools of the town or elsewhere.
Section 1 and Section 2 of Chapter II, of the School Laws
of the State, are as follows :
Section 1. All parents and those who have the care of
children shall bring them up in some honest and lawful
calling or emj^loyment, and instruct them or cause them to
be instructed in reading, writing, English grammar, geogra-
phy, and arithmetic.
Seo. 2. Except in cases, when owing to the physical or
mental condition of a child, the instruction of such child is
inexpedient or impracticable, every parent or other person
having control of a child over eight and under fourteen
years of age shall cause such child to attend a public day
school or to elsewhere receive regular and thorough instruc-
tion in the above named studies, during at least twelve
weeks or sixty full school days in any consecutive twelve
months, six weeks at least of which attendance or instruc-
tion must be consecutive. Each week's failure on the
part of any person to comply with the jprovisions of
this section shall be a distinct offence, punishable with a
172
HAMDBN OBNTBNART.
fine not exceeding five dollars. All offences concerning the
same child shall be charged in separate counts joined in
one complaint. When a complaint contains more than one
count, tfte court may give sentence*on one or more counts,
and suspend sentence on the remaining counts. If at the
end of twelve weeks from date of the sentence it shall ap-
pear that the child concerned has attended school regularly
during that time, then judgment on such remaining counts
shall not be executed.
The statistics of the attendance and of the cost of the
public schools of Hamden are shown in the f olloMring table,
taken from the Report of the School Board for the year
ending August, 1887.
1
2
8
4
6
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
18
10
12
18
66
27
14
22
46
24
16
29
14
77
67
109
68
80
26
107
78
27
167
771
20
18
42
98
68
27
29
100
44
26
44
24
186
Not in
School.
1^
I!
80
Avenge
attendance.
18.0
11.9
22.6
68.6
80.2
21.2
17.0
66.8
28.0
19.0
82.0
18.0
78.6
20.8
12.6
22.6
68.8
26.6
16.7
17.7
60.8
240
17.6
80.8
18.0
78.0
14.8
11,0
21.0
68.0
28.7
16.7
20.0
46.6
28.6
14.0
28.6
18.6
70.7
Viaiton,
86178
$86.00
86.00
86.00
70.00
86.00
86.00
86.00
70.00
86.00
86.00
86.00
86.00
70.00
$804.00
804.00
804.00
698.00
804.00
804.00
800.00
686.00
804.00
804.00
804.00
209.20
608.00
$660.00 $4828.20 $6888.20
$880.00
880.00
889.00
668.00
889.00
889.00
886.00
666.00
880.00
889.00
880.00
884 20
678.00
Amount paid teachers $4,828. 20
Incidentals. 660.00
Superintending, visiting, etc 179.00
due Wallini^ord in joint district 22.90
Nort;hHaven " *' 19.06
Total $5,604.16
Received from State 1,784.76
Total cost of the schools to the town $8,869.41
Many of the children, especially thosevliving in the cen-
tral and southern portions of the town, attend school in the
city of New Haven. There have been at different periods
special temporary courses of instruction or private schools,
UlSTORWAL AND DESVIUPTI VE. 178
with ther teachers paid by subscription, generally in the
winter season, intended chiefly for the youth of both sexes ;
requiring instruction somewhat more advanced than the
teaching with district schools. Mrs. H. G. Dickerman for
many years conducted a select school for both sexes in Mt.
Garmel, and many Ilamden teachers graduated from that
school. A select school is still conducted there by. Miss
Emma Dickerman, A boarding school for boys was found-
ed at CenterviUe by the late Rev. Charles W. Everest, and
is known as the Rectory School.
THE KEOTOBY SCHOOL.
RET. H. L. EYERBST. '
The Rectory School, for more than twenty-five years one
of the foremost military boarding schools in this country,
was established in the year 1843. It was commenced by
Rev". Charles William Everest owing to the inadequate sup-
port which he received as rector of Grace Church, Hamden.
Mr. Everest, who was then living in the house north of the
**Oorners," at CenterviUe, opened his school with only four
pupils. During this year, other boys having been entered
in the school, Mr. Everest purchased the Deacon Hart
property lying a short distance south of the ** Comers,'' on
the main street. In May, 1844, he began the erection of
the Seminary building which, greatly enlarged and im-
proved, became known in after years as The Rectory
School. Before the close of the first school-year the num-
ber of pupils had been increased to nine, and the second year
opened with twelve boys. Two assistant teachers were now
employed, and the school rapidly won its way both in num-
ber of pupils and with respect to its infiuence as a leading
educational institution. At the end of five years from its
commencement the number of pupils was twenty-one, at
the end of eight years twenty-eight pupils, and at the ex-'
piration of ten years forty-five pupils. From this date
(1863) there was a gradual increase in numbers until sixty-
' five was fixed upon as the maximum number desired. Mr.
174 HAMDBN OENTENAIIT,
Everest in later years was assisted in the care of his large
school by six resident masters, while Major James Quinn
and Col. John Arnold were respectively instructors in mili-
tary tactics. The West Point '*grey '* was early adopted
as the uniform of the school and worn by all the boys.
From time to time many additions and improvements
were made by Mr. Everest in the Rectory School grounds.
A wind-mill building, play-house, gas-house, and boat-
house were erected, contributing materially to the comfort
and convenience of the school.
Until the jrear 1870 the prosperity of the Rectory School
was fully maintained, and its great usefulness everywhere
acknowledged. Many hundred boys had graduated to take
active positions in the learned professions, the army and
navy, and in business life, and to-day a very large number
of men prominent in public life look back with profound
regard and affectionate interest to the years spent by them
as pupils at this institution. Among this number is more
than one well-known member of congress. At last, worn
out with the grave and multiplied cares of his position, Mr.
Everest deemed it wise to terminate his work as a teacher,
and devote his remaining years to more strictly ecclesiasti-
cal labors. He died Jan. 11, 1877, in Waterbury, Conn.,
•and is buried in Cedar BUU cemetery, Hartford, Conn.
, As a citizen of Hamden, few men have done more than
Mr. Everest t.o promote, in every way, the best interests of
the town, especially those of the village of Centerville. Its
very trees, the grand old maples shading the main street,
attest the spirit of a man who lived not merely for himself
or for one generation, but thought with kindly interest
" Of summers yet to come
That he shoiud never see," —
when his^ children, and the descendants of neighbors
and friends would be living to reap the inheritance of fore-
thought and toil of those gone before. His name and that
of the justly famous Rectory School will not soon be for-
gotten.
The Rectory School, which was re-opened in September,
1885, by Mr. Everest's two sons, is now conducted as a
family boarding school for boys.
maromoAL and dbscbiptivei. 176
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
PAKISn .OF MOUNT OARMBL.
jjT a General Assembly of the Governor and Com-
pany of His Majesty's English Colony of Connec-
ticut in New England, in America, holden at
Hartford, in said colony, on the second Thursday
of May, being the twelfth day of said month, in 1767.
'* Upon the memorial of Daniel Bradly and others, inhab-
tants of the north part of the First Society in New Haven,
showing that they live at a great distance from the public
worship in said society ; praying to have a committee ap-
pointed to view the circumstances of the memorialists, etc.,
and if they shall think it meet and best make them a dis-
tinct ecclesiastical society, etc., as by the memorial on file
may more fully appear : ^^ Resolved by this Assembly that
Benjamin Hall, Samuel Bassett and Nathaniel Harrison,'
Esqrs., be a committee and they are hereby impowered and
directed as a committee, at the cost of the memorialists, to
repair to said district and view the circumstances of the
memorialists, notifying said first society, etc., and haying
heard all parties concerned, make their report to this Assem-
bly in October next what they shaU think best and most
suitable to be done in the premises."*
In October the Parish of Mt. Carmel was established with
the bounds already described (see pages 62, 63, 64).
MT. OARMEL OHUROH AND SOCIETY.
Bt tub Rbv. L. H. HiaaiNS.
The early inhabitants went to Ifew Haven to church, till
the formation of the parish of North Haven, in 1718.
* Colonial Records of Connecticut, XI, p. 89.
176 HAMDEN 0BNTBINAR7.
Forty years later, i. e.y in 1768, Mt. Carmel became a
separate parish. The first meeting held to take action in
the matter was on Jan. 31, 1768, at which Mr. Samuel At-
water was chosen '^clark" and sworn, with Mr. Daniel
Bradley as moderator, and Messrs. Andrew Goodyear,
Samuel Dickerman, and Ithamar Todd, as a society's com-
mittee. This first meeting ^ ^adjourned to the second Tues-
day of March, at 4 of the clock in the afternoon."
Provision was made for preaching during the winter of
the same year. Early in the year 1769 attention was turned
towardj3 the necessity of providing a permanent place of
worship.
The first meeting house was built in 1760-6 J, in size 56
feet long, by 40 feet wide. It was " voted to build a tarit
(turret) to the meeting house, provided particular men ap-
pear to get the timber frame, and finish said tarit by free
donation."
This first house, as was then customary, was provided
with square pews, * 'dignified seats," and a massive sound-
ing-board. It also had ^'Sabba'-day" houses built near, in
which families refreshed and warmed themselves while
waiting for a second service, as the house was never
warmed with artificial heat till 1832. The first stove thus
used still does good service in heating the basement of the
present house of worship, as occasion requires.
The second, and present meeting house, was built, after
several years of agitation and discussion, near the site of the
old one, and dedicated June 10, 1840. It has been heated
by a furnace since 1860. This house was remodeled in 1870,
at an expense of $2,000.
In the early history of the church and society, the house
was seated and *' dignified" with due respect to age and
property. The current expenses of the church and society
were met .by ta:^ation on the property lists, varying from
.03 on the dollar to .08, in 1844. In addition to this means,
a fund of $8,000 was raised in 1800, by subscription, "for
the support of the ministry;" this fund is now about
niSTOJUOAL AND DEaORTPTIVE. 177
17,000, and its income is applied in the same direction. In;
June, 1849, the slips were sold at auction, which custom .
has continued for the most part to the present.
The church was organized as an ecclesiastical corporation
January 26, 1764, composed of forty-six members, one-half
of whom were males.
The first settled minister was Rev. Nathaniel Sherman,
who was ordained May 18, 1769, and dismissed August,
1772. Then followed Rev. Joshua Perry, from October 16,
1783 to 1790. Rev. Asa Lyman from September 9, 1800 to
April 26, 1803. Rev. John Hyde from May 20, 1806 to
January, 1811. Rev. E. B. Coleman from February 6, 1812
to November 9, 1826. Rev. Stephen Hubbell from May 19,
1830 to May, 1836. Rev. James Bimey from June 14, 1842
to March 29, 1846. Rev. Israel P. Warren, D.D., from
July 8, 1846 to September 23, 1861. Rev. D/H. Thayer
from January 5, 1863 to May 20, 1866. Rev. J. H. De For-
est from May 24, 1871 to August 7, 1874. Rev. George C.
Miln from December 29, 1874 to January 10, 1877. Rev.
Robert C. Bell from April 16, 1879 to August 7, 1881. Rev.
L. H. Higgins, acting pastor since October 23, 1881.
Deacons have been elected as follows : Daniel Bradley
and Amos Peck, 1768 ; Stephen Goodyear, 1773 ; Daniel
Bradley, 1783; Asa Goodyear, 1803; Aaron Bradley, 1808;
Lyman Goodyear and Ezra Dickerman, 1828; Marcus Good-
year and Elihu Dickerman, 1840 ; Willis Goodyear, 1861 ;
Joshua Carpenter, 1869 ; Andrew H, Smith, 1871 ; George
H. Allen, 1880; E. P. McLane, 1882, and re-elected in 1886.
The church clerks have for the most part been the acting
ministers and pastors, down to 1870, since which time Mr.
L. A. Dickerman has held the oflBice. The Society -clerks
have been Samuel Atwater, 1768 ; Daniel Bradley, 1773 ;
Samuel Bellamy^ 1786 to 1789 ; Elisha Chapman, 1789 to
1795; Josiah Root, 1796 to 1804; Hezekiah Bassett, Jr.,
1804 to 1813; Jason Dickerman, 1813 to 1818; Lyman Good-
year, 1818 to 1826; Ambrose Tuttle, 1826 to 1827; Ezra
Dickerman, 1827 to 1832 ; Parsons Ives, 1832 to 1840 ; Ho-
178 HAMDEH CENTENARY.
bart Ives, 1840 to 1847; Lucius Ives, 1847 to 1866; Amos B.
Peck, 1866 to 1868 ; L. A. Diokerman, 1868 to 1868 ; D. H.
Cooper, 1868 to 1871 ; J. B. Jacobs, 1871 to the present
time.
The church has had a total membership of 750, and now
numbers 167.
Sergeant Stephen Goodyear and Alvan Bradley were
chosen November 3, 1767, to assist Captain Ives in "setting
the psalm;" from that time on, choristers have been an-
nually chosen, in number from two to ten ; and appropria-
tions of money from $16.00 to $60.00 for singing, up to 1861.
Various musical instruments have been used to aid the
singing; the fiddle, double and single bass viol, and other
stringed and wind instruments taking a prominent part,
till in more modem times these gave way for the melodeon,
and then the cabinet organ, which also in time made room
for a pipe organ, which was set up 1872 at a cost of $1,200.
The present and only parsonage owned by the society
was built in 1864, during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Thayer,
costing about $1,760. A bam was added to the parsonage
premises in 1886 at an expense of $216.
The church has raised up one minister, viz.: Rev. George
A. Dickerman; while a former minister. Rev. J. H. DeFor-
est, is a missionary of the A. B. C. P. M. in Japan. Of
previous pastors only four are now living, viz.. Revs. J. P.
Warren, D.D., J. H. DeForest, George C. Miln and Robert
C. BeU.
HAMDEN EAST PLAIN SOCIETY.
THE OHTTBOn IN WHITNBTVILLB.*
In the latter part of the last century, a few iifdividuals,
residing chiefly in the west, or southwest part of this town,
and belonging to churches in the neighboring towns, the
majority of them to what was then called the ''Fair Haven
Church,'' in the city of New Haven, were led to entertain
* Selections from the Historical Discourse of the Xleverend Austin Putnam,
pastor, preached July 9th, 1870.
HiaTORIOAL AND DE80RIPTIVB. 179
thoughts of uniting together to f oiin a church of Christ.
At their request an Ecclesiastical Council was called, and
convened to give their advice on the subject. The Council
assembled on the 6th day of August, 1795, and were com-
posed of the following ministers and delegates :
Ministers. — Rev. James Dana, D. D., New Haven ; Rev.
Noah WiUiston, Pastor of the Church in West Haven, and
Rev. David L. Beebe, Pastor of the First Church in Wood-
bridge.
Delegates, — Timothy Jones, Esq., from the Second
Church in New Haven; Dea. Nathan Smith, from the
Church in West Haven ; Dea. Phineas Peck, from the First
Church in Woodbridge ; Dea. Stephen Goodyear, from the
First Church in Hamden, and Henry Daggett, Esq., from
the Third Church in New Haven.
Dr. Dana was chosen Moderator, and Mr. Beebe, Scribe.
The meeting was opened with prayer by the Moderator.
The individuals, at whose request the Council had been
called, appeared before the Council and asked their advice
touching the matters already spoken of. The Council unan-
imously advised them to procure certificates from the
churches to which they belonged of their membership and
regular standing in those churches, and to present them to
the Council at a future meeting. The Council then ad-
journed to meet on the 18th day of the same month of Au-
gust, and on that day, the 18th day of August, 1796, the
Council met according to adjournment. The following
persons,
Charles Ailing, Abraham Ailing, Sybil Andrews,
Hannah Ailing, Abigail Ailing, Desire Humiston,
Asa Gilbert, Eleanor Carrington, Sarah Turner, and
Mary Gilbert, Hannah Bassett, Rebecca Mix,
presented to the Council certificates of their membership
and regular standing in the churches to which they be-
longed. They also subscribed a document prepared for the
occasion, and setting forth clearly the objects they had in
view, and the motives and spirit by which they were actu-
180 HAMDEN OBNTBNART,
ated, in wishing to be organized into a church. Whereupon
the Council voted unanimously to consider them '^ as a reg-
ular Church of Christ, and to receive them into the fellow-
ship of the churches, as a sister church." The document
to which they put their names, and to which I have already
alluded, was highly creditable to them. It shows very
plainly that this church did not have its origin in any spirit
of sect or schism, nor in any spirit of hostility or opposi-
tion to other churches or Christians ; but in a very differ-
ent spirit; in a spirit of liumility and meekness, and
of love to God and all mankind ; in the very spirit of
Jesus. They did not leave the churches to which they
belonged, and seek to establish churches of their own, be-
cause they were angry, or displeased, or dissatisfied with
those churches and wished to do something in opposition
to them ; but for a very different reason, and in a very
different spirit, as the document, which was as follows,
plainly shows :
'' We,^ whose names are underwritten, members of neigh-
boring churches, have agreed, with the approbation of
those churches, and of the Ecclesiastical Council now con-
vened in this society, to be established as a regular distinct
church, for the greater convenience of attending gospel
worship and ordinances. We profess ourselves in charity
with the regular churches and standing ministry. We also
acknowledge the candor of the churches with which we
have been particularly connected, and ask their Christian
forgiveness and charity for whatever on our part, or on the
part of any of us, may have caused grief. We also mutu-
ally ask forgiveness of one another, for everything which
has been unworthy of the Christian profession ; fervently
praying for the spirit and presence of Christ in the present
transaction, and in all our future proceedings. We do now
solemnly, and as we hope in sincerity of soul, agree and
covenant with each other to walk in fellowship as a Church
of Christ, acknowledging Him as our only Head, and tak-
ing His instruction for our guide in faith and practice, in
maTOlUOAL ANV DmVRlPTlYE, 181
worship and discipline. We promise to counsel and ad-
monish one another, as it becometh saints, and with Chris-
tian humility to be subject one to another. We mutually
engage to uphold the institutions of Christ, and will make
it out endeavor, as God shall give opportunity and ability,
to obtain the settlement, and provide for the support of a
good Minister of the New Testament. Thus we covenant
and engage with each other, in dependence on the grace of
Christ to enable us to fulfill our covenant."
It appears from this pap^r that the original members of
this church were persons of sound minds, of correct views,
and of a Christian temper. They left the churches, with
which they had been connected, with the entire approba-
tion of those churches, and with the most kind feelings
towards them, and sought to establish a church of their own
from good and worthy motives : **for the greater conven-
ience of attending goispel worship and ordinances," for
their mutual edification, and for the honor of Christ. Such
was the spirit in which the foundations of this church were
laid ; and thanks be unto God, that same spirit has been in
it through all the days of its history, down to the present
time, and lives in it still.
On the same day on which the church was f ormedj three
men, Moses Ford, Jabez Turner, and Timothy Andrews,
were received as members by a profession of their faith. And
so the little church began its course with fifteen members ;
six men and nine women. And if they were all in circum-
stances of comfort, none of them were rich in the things of
this world.
The original members of the church had met for worship
on the Sabbath with some of their neighbors, for some-
time before the church was formed. Their first place of
meeting was either in- the school-house, or in a building
near the school-house, in the south-west district, near the
house of Mr. Gibbs Gilbert. But after they had met
there for a while, it was proposed to change the place of
meeting, and to meet in the future at the house of Captain
182 ' HAMDEN OBNTENAEY.
Mix, which stood on the Hamden Plain Road, a short dis-
tance north of the spot where the Methodist Church now
stands. It was proposed to make this change in the place
of meeting for the better accommodation of some who
wished, or might be induced to attend it. It was thought
and argued by some, that the house of Capt. Mix was more
central, and would better accommodate the majority of
those who wished to attend the meeting, than the other
place. And a vote was passed to change the place of meet-
ing, and to meet in the future at the house of Capt. Mix.
But this vote was not unanimous. It gave great dissatisfac-
tion to some and met with strong opposition. As soon as it
was passed, Mr. Caleb AUing, who was a leading man
among those who were opposed to the vote, arose in the
meeting, and said, -^^ I give notice that hereafter my own
house win be open on the Sabbath for public worship ; and
I invite you all, or as many of you as sympathize with
me in regard to the vote that has just now been passed, to
meet me there next Sabbath, and' on Sabbaths following."
And they did. A separate meeting was established at the
house of Mr. Ailing, and was regularly conducted and sus-
tained by him, for many years, and until a short time before
his decease. Thus we see that the little band of Christians,
who first contemplated the formation of a Christian church
here, were divided, and thus diminished and weakened,
even before the church was formed. But those who were in
favor of meeting at the house of Captain Mix, met there ;
and, in due time, as we have seen, were organized into a
church. They continued to meet at Captain Mix's until
their first house of worship was completed. The erection
of that house was commenced some time in the year 1793,
before the church was formed, and finished, probably, in
1795. It stood precisely where the Methodist church now
stands. It was a cheap and unsightly building, having but
few attractions. And, for many years at least, there never
was any iire in it. The people assembled there in the cold-
est weather, without a spark of fire. And it stood in a
HISTORICAL AND DESOBIPTIVE. 188
very cold, bleak place. If the wind blows anywhere, it is
sure to blow on Hamden Plain.
Bat while the church had a house of worship, which
answered their purpose, and satisfied them, though it would
not by any means satisfy the present generation, so much
has the world moved since then, they had no pastor. They
met, however, for worship on the Sabbath. Sometimes they
had a minister, and sometimes they had none. And when
they had no minister, their services were usually conducted
by Mr. Abraham Ailing, one of their own number; who, from
his superior natural gifts, and somewhat superior educa-
tion, seemed to be fitted to be the leader of this little band
of Christians. He led them in their pmyers, and also in
their singing, and read to them printed sermons or dis-
courses composed by others, though sometimes, after a
while, he ventured to deliver them a discourse written and
composed, partly or wholly, by himself. After continuing
in this way for about two years, they extended a call to
Mr. Ailing, who was then in the forty-fourth ye«ar of his
age, and living on a little farm three miles north-west of
the church, to become their pastor. The call to Mr. Ailing
was unanimous; but in consequence of his objecting to tlie
salary offered to him, as being insufficient, some members
of the church, or of the society, which was formed a few
few months before the church was organized, were dissatis-
fied and withdrew, and joined the meeting of Mr, Caleb
Ailing, already spoken of. Here was another division to
weaken and trouble this little company of Christians. Mr.
Ailing at length withdrew his objections to the salary
offered to him, accepted the call, and was ordained as the
First Pastor of this church, on the 19th day of October,
1797. He continued in oflice for a period of twenty-five
years, or until the 22d day of October, 1822, when he re-
signed his charge, and was dismissed at his own request.
Mr. Ailing was born in Stamford, Dutchess County, State
of New York. When he was sixteen years of age he came
to this town to live with an uncle, who resided here at that
184 HAMDKJN OKNTENARY.
time. At the age of eighteen years he made a profession of
religion, and united with the Fair Haven Church, in the
city of New Haven. When he came here, he came with the
expectation of receiving a collegiate education, but being
interrupted in his studies, as were many others, by the
Revolutionary war, he did not enter college. He married,
and settled on a farm in the west part of this town. He
was one, and a leading one, of the little company that
formed this church. After serving them, as one of them,
and in a private capacity, for about two years, he became
their pastor in the year 1797, being then in the forty-fourth
year of his age. He served them in the pastoral office for
a period of twenty-five years, when he was dismissed at his
own request. During all these years of his ministry he con-
tinued to reside on his farm and labored, more or less, with
his own hands for the support of himself and his family,
as his salary, for much of the time at least, was altiogethor
insufficient for their support. He remained on the same spot
after his dismission, and until the day of his death. He died
July 22, 1837, at the advanced aged of 83 years. His grave
is in the cemetery on Hamden Plain. A simple stone, erec-
ted by this church, shows the passing traveler where his body
lies, and is a token of the respect and affection with which
he was remembered by the former people of his charge.
For many years he seems to have been a prosperous and
happy man. But his last years, like those of many aged
ministers, were clouded with sorrow. Some, who had been
his friends, and members of his flock, forsook him and
turned against him. He resigned his charge in very un-
pleasant circumstances, leaving the church, over which he
had watched so long, divided and broken. He lost all, or
nearly all, of the little property which he had possessed,
and became very poor. But in the gospel which he had
preached to others, he found comfort in sorrow, as well as
support in death. Mr. Ailing was above the ordinary stat-
ure, of good personal appearance, of pleasing mannera, and
an interesting preacher. He was very much respected and
InBTontOAL /liv/i Jmsanjpijvji. 166
beloved, not only by the people of his charge, but also by
the ministers and churches of the neighborhood. His abili-
ties, as a preacher, were highly respectable. I am told that
not only his ovm congregation, but also the people of other
congregations, to whom he preached occasionally^ were
always glad to see him enter the pulpit. His success as a
preacher appears the more remarkable when we consider
his circumstances, and his lack of a thorough education.
Mr. Ailing was particularly distinguished for his happy
manner of officiating at funerals. It is said that his prayers
and exhortations on such occasions were remarkably ap-
propriate and impressive. But while he was a man of a
sympathetic nature, and could be solemn and pathetic when
circumstances required him to be, a little incident, related
to me by his son-in-law, the late Dea. Lyman Ford, of this
church, shows that he had a vein of humor in him. He was
accustomed to ride to church, a distance of three miles, and
often on horseback. As it has been remarked already, there
was no lire in the church at any season of the year. On one
Sabbath, which was an extremely cold day in the middle
of winter, Mr. Ailing rode to church as usual. The preacher
and the people were almost frozen at the beginning of the
service. After the usual services before the sermon,
which were very long, Mr. Ailing arose in the pul-
pit to deliver his discourse. He took for his text the
latter part of the 17th verse of the 147tli Psalm, " W?io can
stand before Ids coldV^ His sermons were usually very
long, as the sermons of that day generally were ; but this
time he preached longer than usual, and finally closed his
discourse somewhat abruptly as follows : " Dear Brethren,
I should be glad to say much more on this deeply interest-
ing subject ; but," wringing and rubbing his hands, '^^wJio
can stand htfore Ids cold ?"
During the ministry of Mr. Ailing, seventy-one persons
were added to the church by profession, and ten by letter ;
total eighty-one. For many years the church increased and
prospered under his ministry. But at length a great and
24
186 HA MDEN CRNTBNAR F.
sore calamity befel it, which threatened its very existence.
A case of discipline which was brought before the church,
and in which, as is quite common in such cases, the pastor
was accused by some of being partial, was the occasion of
much unpleasant feeling, which finally resulted not only in
the dismission of the pastor, but also in a most painful
division of the church and society, and in the establishment
of another church and society within the bounds of this.
For a period of sixteen years after the dismission of Mr.
Ailing, the church was destitute of a pastor. In the Au-
tumn of 1833, fifteen persons were added to the church by
profession ; and in the spring of 1836, under the ministry
of the present pastor, but previous to his settlement, eight-
een were received by profession, and two by letter. And
during the sixteen years between the dismission of Mr. Ai-
ling and the settlement of the present pastor, sixty-five
were added to the church by profession, and lifteen by let-
ter ; total eighty. It is a curious fact, and one which, per-
haps, is worth mentioning, that during the sixteen years
to which this part of the discourse refers, this church heard
the gospel from about 240 different preachers ; and among
them were some of the most distinguished ministers the
country has ever produced. The immediate predecessor of
the present pastor in the preaching of the word here, was
the late Rev. Doctor Nathaniel W. Taylor, of New Haven,
who, as a mental and moral philosopher, theologian and
preacher, had few superiors or even equals in this or any
other age or land. Dr. Taylor, I think, supplied the pul-
pit here for about eighteen months.
It remains to b^ noticed, that it was during this period
of the history of the Church, while the church was with-
out a pastor, that this house of worship was built. It was
erected in the spring and summer of 1834. The first meet-
ing in it was held in the Lecture Room, May 25th, of that
year. The building cost $2,400, and a part of the money
was collected from churches and individuals of other towns.
In the erection of tliis temple of the Lord, the Rev, George
HiaTOmOAL AND DESCRIPTIVE, 187
E. Delavan, who labored here for a season in the work of
the gospel ministry, was very active and largely influential.
The peculiar qualities of mind and heart by which he was
distinguished, seemed to fit him most admirably for the en-
terprise, and he threw his whole soul into it. There is rea-
son to believe that but for him the church would not have
been built when it was ; and, perhaps, never where it was.
It is true that others labored heartily with him ; among
whom, first and prominent, was Dea. Eli Dickerman ; and .
without them he could have done nothing. But he was evi-
dently the leading spirit in the work. Mr. Delavan began
his labors here May 1, 1833. On the 19th of June follow-
ing, he was ordained in the Old Meeting House as an Evan-
gelist. I think that he hoped one day to become pastor of
the church. But that hope, if he had it, was not realized.
He continued his labors with this people from May 1, 1833,
until the house of worship, which had been built so largely
through his instrumentality, was completed; and then,
August 24, 1834, in the language of Dea. Elias Bassett, re-
corded in the church records, ^' he bade an afllectionate fare-
well to this church and finished his ministerial labors
here."
It is known to some of the older persons, that there was
a painful difference of opinion, as there often is in such
cases, between the members of the Church and Society, as
to the location of this house of worship. Those who lived
on Hamden Plain and in the west part of the town, wished,
very naturally, to build the new church on the site of the
old one, where the Methodist Church now stands ; while
those who lived in this part of the town wished to build it
here. It was finally decided to build it here, and here it
was built. But those who lived near the old church, or
many of them, were very much grieved ; just as those who
lived in this vicinity might have been in the same circum-
stances. And it may be a question whether it was wise to
build the church here. There were two great arguments
for building it here ; one was, that if it were located here,
188 UAMDBlf OBNTBNAET,
it would accommodate Whitneyville; and the other was,
that it would accommodate persons living on the East Road
who belonged to churches in Fair Haven and New Haven,
but who would, probably, join this church, if the house of
worship were built here. But time showed that neither of
these arguments was as forcible as it was thought to be by
those who employed them. Whitneyville proper has not
increased much, and it has never contributed very much to
the support of this church and society.
The present piastor of the church was installed on the
31st day of October, 1838. The church at that time was
small and feeble. It consisted of about seventy-five mem-
bers, some of them very young and some of them absent.
And the church was divided. There was a most painful
division in consequence of the change in the location of the
house of worship already spoken of. Some of the most
worthy and influential families in the church, living on
Hamden Plain and in the west part of the town, were so
much grieved about the change of the place of worship from
Hamden Plain to Whitneyville, that they had never come
here to worship, and they never expected to, and the
church had no idea that they ever would.
The growth of the church, during the last forty-eight
years, has not been rapid, but it has been steady and
healthy. During these years we have enjoyed, repeatedly,
glorious seasons of refreshing from the presence of the
Lord, which we shall remember with joy and gratitude to
God forever. In these seasons of revival, Christians have
been greatly strengthened and comforted, and many sinners
have been converted and gjithered into the church. And
between these seasons our Sunday School, and all our regu-
lar meetings, both on the Sabbath and on other days, have
been sustained without interruption, the good spirit of the
Lord has always been with us. Christians have grown in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, and some shmors have been converted and added to
the church. So that our number now is more than double
IU8T0RIGAL AND DEaGRIPTIVE, 189
what it was forty-eight years ago. And it is important to
remember that our growth has not been in consequence of
any great increase of population around us, for there has
been no such increase. It is believed that there are not
many more people living in this part of the town, or within
a mile or two of the Whitney ville church now, than there
were in 1838. Nor has our growth been by accessions from
other churches. We have given to other churches many
more than they have given to us. Most of the young peo-
ple who have grown up here and joined the church have
left us. And many who have gone out from this little
church have been bright ornaments and rich blessings to
other churches and burning and shining lights in other
places. Our loss has been their great gain. One of our
number has represented us for nearly twenty years, and
most nobly, on the Foreign Missionary field. And not only
have individuals left us, but many whole families, on which
we once greatly relied, and who were a tower of strength
to this church, liavo moved away or been broken uj) n.nd
scattered. Where, for example, are the Fords, and the Gil-
berts, and the Bassetts, once so numerous and so strong
among us ? They are nearly all gone. Nor has our growth
been the result of foreign aid or occasional and spasmodic
efforts. No Evangelist or itinerant preacher has ever
preached a sermon here in all these years. Our Sunday
School, commenced in the Old Meeting House under the
superintendence of that most excellent and worthy lady,
Mrs. Jonathan Mix, and which was so small and feeble for
many years, has lived and grown, and is now in a flourish-
ing condition. Our choir, through all these years, and
under only four different choristers, and without any salary
or pecuniary compensation, have kept together and sung
together in harmony not only with musical signs, but also
with one another and the spirit of God.
The two first deacons of this church, Moses Ford and
Joseph Benham, died before the present pastor was settled.
And since his settlement, five deacons, Lyman Ford, Eaton
190 HAMDEN OENTENART.
Bassett, Eli Dickerman, Elias Bassett, and Darius Webb,
have died. They were all good men and tnie. Tliey had dif-
ferent gifts; but they all loved the church with a wann and
ardent affection, and did much for it in their day. In their
removal from the world the church sustained a great, and
as it seemed at the time, an irreparable loss. But God, who
is ever mindful of his people, has been pleased to raise up
others to take their places. The time was when it seemed
to some that the church could hardly exist without Deacon .
Ford. And truly he was a burning and shining light, and,
for many years, a tower of strength in this temple of the
Lord. But Deacon Ford died and the church lives. And
we shall die, but the church will live. For the source of
its life is not in man but in God.
During this period of our history our house of worship
was rebuilt at an expense of about ten thousand doUai-s.
We have a commodious, pleasant, and attractive house of
worship, and we owe no man anything but love. And it
may be proper to observe here that the great mercy of God
to us as a people, was most wonderfully manifested in the
rebuilding of our house of worship.
I have said that as a society we owe nothing. And I
would say in this connection, that the affairs of our society
have always been managed in a most admirable manner;
and this has contributed not a little to -the prosperity of the
church. Our expenses have been comparatively small.
Our singing has been altogether gratuitous, and the salary
of the pastor has always been small, smaller, probably, than
that of any pastor in the vicinity; for eighteen years it was
$500 a year and the new pai'sonage; then, for some years,
it was $700, and finally and now $900. But if our expenses
have been comparatively small, they have always been
promptly met. The pastor has always been satisfied with
his salary, and whenever his people have changed it, as
they have done several times, they have always made it
more instead of less, and this they have done entirely of
their own free will and without any solicdtation or sugges-
niBTOmOAL AND DBSORIPTIVE. 191
tion from Mm. And lie has never had to ask or wait for
his money. What his people have agreed to pay him they
have always paid promptly, and, as he believes, cheerfully.
Our contributions for religious and benevolent objects,
though never large, have increased very much in these
years, as the following report of our contributions in the
first year of my ministry will show. We reported our con-
tributions then from October to October, because the annual
meeting of the Consociation, with which we were con-
nected, was held in October, and we were expected to re-
port our contributions at that meeting. And our contribu-
tions from October, 1838, to October, 1839, were as follows:
For the American Tract Society, - - $3.16
For the American Seaman's Friend Society, 1.25
For the American Education Society, - 3.75
For the American Home Missionary Society, 4.55
For the American Bible Society, - - 3.00
For the American Board of Foreign Missions, 40.00
Total, . . - . $56.71
And in the same year, and in each year for several years
afterwards, we received $80 from the American Home Mis-
sionary Society, to aid us in supporting the gospel among
ourselves. For all these objects we give now more than
twice as much as we did then ; for some of them seven
times as much ; for some of them ten times as much, for
some of them twenty times as much ; and we receive noth-
ing from the Home Missionary Society.
Two brave and noble young men, who had been ponnected
with this church, Thomas McCartey and George Henry
Mimmack, one an Irishman, and the other an Englishman,
laid down their lives for their adopted country in the war
of the llebellion.
The original members of this church were twelve in num-
ber ; three men and nine women. There have been added
to it 358 by profession, and 158 by letter ; total, 516. The
whole number who have been connected with the church is
I6d BAMDJiN OtINfMAEY,
628. The present number of members is 170, [and July
19tli, 1886, 190.]
The name by which our society is Itnown in law is Ham-
den East Plain ; and the church was known by that name
so long as its house of worship stood on Hamden Plain.
But since we met here we have been more generally known
as the Church of Christ in Whitneyville.
In the Centennial year, 1886, in July, the number of pews
in the church was 64 ; annual income, $1,200. The Sab-
bath School had 229 schohirs ; teachers, 21 ; officers, 6 ; to-
tal, 256. Five Bible classes. The choir averaged 20 voices.
The choristers in the last fifty years were : Lyman Ford,
Horace Lord, James M. Payne, Charles P. Augur.
GRACE OHUnOH (PROTBSTANT EPISCOPAL.)
IIBY. n. L. BYBIIEST.
The parish of Grace Church was organized at Mt. Carmel
in the year 1790, and its limits were confined strictly to that
district. Religious services were at first held at the private
residences of its members, but, probably during the year
1796, a small church, 44 feet by 34 feet, was erected. Sev-
eral years passed, however, before this building could be
supplied witli pews, a pulpit and other suitable furniture.
Grace Church, like almost all new parishes of that pe-
riod, was unable for a time to secure the full services of a
clergyman, and so for many years it depended mainly on
lay services. The regular lay reader, Mr. Amasa Bradley,
was assisted occasionally by Mr. Ezra Bradley and others.
Yet from the date of its organization we find that clerical
ministrations were not infrequently rendered. At first
these services were given monthly, then more frequently,
until a clergyman was engaged to ofliciate every other Sun-
day in the year. For a long period Cheshire was depended
upon for such clerical aid ; and the Rev. Dr. Bronson, Rev.
Reuben Ives and Rev. Asa Cornwall, at that time residents
of Cheshire, officiated often in the Mt. Carmel Church.
mSTORIOAL AND DKSORIPTIVE. 198
An amusing circumstance connected with those early
days seems worthy of mention. The Eev. Asa Cornwall
having officiated on a certain Sunday in Grace Church had
occasion to pay a parochial visit to some family in the west-
ern part of the town. While returning home a conscien-
tious tithingman came out and arrested him for ''travel-
ling on the Sabbath day." Mr. Cornwall having explained
the natur« of the work in which he was engaged, the officer
apologized, and the good parson proceeded on his way.
In June, 1818, legal measures were taken for extending
the limits of the parish so that it should include the whole
town of namden. This step was followed by a movement
towards building a new church in the center of the town.
Accordingly, in January, 1819, a new and larger church
building was commenced at Centerville, and completed
probably during 1820, or early in 1821. The old church edi-
fice and grounds were sold and the proceeds applied
towards the payment of the new building. The new church
was consecrated by Riglit Rev. Bishop Brownell, October
14th, 1821.
For a term of fourteen years from this date it would ap-
pear that Grace Church did not secure the services of a res-
ident rector. Various clergymen residing in New Haven
and elsewhere assumed a temporary charge, the parish rec-
ord recording the names of Rev. Reuben Ives, Rev. Peter
G. Clark, Rev. John W. Garfield, Rev. Gurdon S. Coit,
and Rev. Messrs. Potter and Walter. It is also an inter-
esting fact that for nearly one year the Rt. Rev. Thomas
Brownell, at that time a resident of New Haven, supplied
the parish with Sunday services. In the year 1835 the Rev.
John H. Rouse was called to the charge of the parish and
became the first resident minister. He remained two years
and was succeeded by Rev. Henry Pitch, who continued his
rectorship for six years, resigning on Easter, 1843. This
same year the Rev. Charles W. Everest was elected to the
rectorship. Finding the salary inadequate to a support,
Mr. Everest, with the consent of his parishioners, soon after
25
m IIAMDBN OENTBNART,
opened a boarding school for boys, and for thirty-one years
maintained charge both of Grace Church and The Rectory
School. Mr. Everest resigned as rector of the parisli in
April, 1874, having had full charge of the church during
this long period with the exception of one year (1846-47),
when he officiated in St. John's Church, North Haven.
The church building, which had fallen into disrepair,
was repaired and generally improved, in 1847, at an expense
of about $1,000. No further alterations worthy of mention
were made until 1874, when new seats were placed in the
church and the interior of the building refitted. Other sub-
stantial improvements have from time to time followed.
Since the year 1874 the following clergymen have been in
charge of Grace Church : Rev. Ephraim Whitcombe, Rev.
Joseph Brewster, Rev. Heman R. Timlow, Rev. J. E. Wal-
ton, Rev. Henry Tarrant, and Rev. A. B. Nichols. The
Rev. Wm. B. Walker, at that time a member of the
Berkeley Divinity School, officiated as lay reader for one
year. The present rector is Rev. W. L. Everest. The fol-
lowing named wardens and vestrymen were elected at the
annual parish meeting. May 7th, 1886 :
Wardens. — George W. Bradley, Jesse Cooper.-
Vestrymen. — Russell H. Cooper, John T. Henry, A. J.
Doolittle, Bela A. Mann, Charles Dickerman, George L.
Clark. •
Within a few years past Grace Church has been the
recipient of liberal benefactions from these persons : Mrs.
Mercy Bassett, Mrs. Cynthia Bradley, Mrs. Sophrona Tut-
tie, Mr. Levi Bradley, Mr. Stirling Bi'adley, Mr. Jesse M.
Mansfield.
The ''Trustees of Donations and Bequests for Church
Purposes" have in, charge the sum of about $4,000 belong-
ing to Grace Church parisli. ''Blessed are they that sow
beside all waters. ' '
IIISTOmOAL AND VBaCRIPTlVE, 106
IIAMDION MJirniODlBM.
DAYID MAOMULLBN.
About 1810 Sybil, wife of Amasa Tuttle, moved from
Derby to Hamden. She was a member of the M. E. Church,
and there being no Methodist society in Hamden, she united
with the newly established organization in New Haven, and
soon was instrumental in persuading the pastor and some
of the members of that church to hold meetings in Hamden.
Mr. Tuttle was not then a professor of religion, but his
hearty co-operation furthered the plans of his wife, and
an upper room was provided for regular services.
The first class was formed December 27, 1813, and placed
under the leadership of Eli Barnett; the following names
were enrolled: Sybil Tuttle, Amos Benham, Euth Ben-
ham, Timothy Andrews, Sybil Andrews, Rebecca Dorman
and Isaac Benham. The interest taken in the regularly
held meetings resulted in a revival in the summer and fall
of 1814, dining which there were about forty conversions.
The accessions rendered it necessary to secure a more suit-
able place of worship. This wjis done, the house being a
dwelling then belonging to Amasa Tuttle.
The earliest available record (1816), shows Hamden to
have been included in Durham circuit, which was divided
in 1825, part of it being incorporated with the Wethersfield
circuit and another part attached to New Haven; the latter
in 1826 was separated from New Haven, and constituted a
two weeks' circuit bearing the name of Hamden. In 1827
part of the Stratford circuit was added to the Hamden, and
another addition from the Saybrook circuit was made in
1829. In the same year Hamden seems to have been ab-
sorbed by the Saybrook circuit, but in 1830 the consolida-
tion was reconsidered, and Hamden was restored to its
former status of a two weeks' circuit. These numerous
divisions caused a considerable fluctuation in the numeri-
cal reports of the circuit. The numbers claimed were in
1826, 144; in 1827, 233; in 1828, 600; in 1829, 300; in 1830,
106 HA MDBN OlSNTENART,
230; in 1831, 266; in 1832, 266; in 1833, 282; about which
time Hamden became a conference station.
The first church edifice proper was erected upon land
deeded September 11, 1819, by Euth Benham to Abner
Wooding, Timothy Andrews, Isaac Benham, Amos Benham
and Timothy Andrews, Jr., in trust. This building was
for a few years used in an unfinished state. On March 28,
1834, Merritt Ailing, Charles Wooding, Rufus Dorman,
Ezra Ailing, 2d, and Jesse Ailing were appointed a commit-
tee on the building of a new church edifice. Their efforts
resulted in the building of the house which preceded the
one now in use, which stands on the site of the old Congre-
gational church, and was dedicated on Christmas day, 1834.
Its cost was about $2,300, not all of which was immediately
paid. The old church property was sold and converted
into a dwelling.
The first parsonage wasbnilt in 1838, Orlando Sfairr being
its first occupant. Part of the church debt was paid in
1840, and the residue in 1847, during the pastorate of George
L. Fuller. In 1867, Benjamin Broomhead off ered land upon
which to build a new parsonage. Some were disposed to
accept, but others opposed the measure. Meantime an op-
portunity to purchase a house was presented and improved.
The house was secured, the old one sold, and a partial pay-
ment made on the new investment. C. W. Powell ih-st
occupied the present parsonage, which, during the pastor-
ate of L. Richardson, was paid for in full, thus making the
society entirely free of debt on its property.
It is impossible to speak accurately of the spiritual life
and work of the church in its earlier days. Little of an
extraordinary character seems ever to have transpired
within its bounds. Its growth has been steady but slow.
It has met with some vicissitudes, chief among which may
be named a Millerite controversy in 1843, which, however,
soon subsided in the withdrawal of some who persisted in
that delusion.
During the pastorate of Joseph Frost, preaching at Cen-
HISTORICAL AND DESCBIPTIVK 107
terville. by Hamden pastors, was established, and a class
was formed there April 27, 1846. Separate services at Cen-
terville were attempted by T. A. Lovejoy, but after a trial
of one year the old plan was resumed.
Revival influences have at various times touched Center-
ville, Warnertown and other outlying localities. In the
cliurch, proper, several revivals have brought great blessing
and resulted in large accessions to the membership, notably
those during the pastorate of Frederick Brown, the joint
pastomte of George P. Mains and C. W. Gallagher, and the
pastorates of J. B. Merwin and N. L. Porter.
The Sunday School has had slow but constant growth.
For more than a quarter of a century Jared Benham was
superintendent. After this long and faithful service, at
the beginning of the pastorate of David MacMuUen, spring
of 1884, Mr. Benham, having declined re-election, was suc-
ceeded by Abner Warner, who, after two years of service,
was followed by Clifford Munson, the present superinten-
dent.
During the pastorate of John S. Haugh (1876), the church
building was remodeled into its present tabernacle form,
and a chapel added, the entire expense being fully met.
The last Conference statistical report gives the following
figures :
Church members and probationers, 225 ; Sunday school,
scholars, tecochers, and officers, 180 ; valuation of church
building, $10,000; valuation of parsonage, $3,000. All
property in good order and free from debt.
The following is the list of the pastors with their terms
of service, since Hamden became a conference station, in
1834:
Thomas Baiiibridgei
1884-188G
Abraham Francis,
1886-1887
Orlando Starr,
1887-1888
Daniel Right,
1888-1889
Ira Abbott,
1889-1840
William S. StiUwell,
1840-1842
A. 8. HUl,
1842-1848
108
HAMDBN 0RNTBNAR7,
Charles Stearns. 1848-1845
Joseph Frost, 1845-1847
George L. Puller. 1847-1840
Charles Bartlett. 1840-1851
T. A. Lovejoy, 1851-1858
B. Bedford, 1858-1855
B. Leffingwell. 1855-1857
W. H. Russell, 1857-1850
D. W. Lounsbury, 1850-1861
W. P. Estes, 1861-1868
Frederick Brown, 1868-1864
J. Field, 1864-1866
C. W, Poweir. 1866-1868
Elwin Warrlner. 1868-1860
George P. Mains. 1860-1871
Samuel M. Hammond. |1871-1872
Lemuel Richardson, 1872-1878
Henry A. Van Dalsem. 1878-1874
John Rippere, 1874-1876
J. S. Haugh, 1876-1878
J. B. Merwin, 1878-1881
Nelson L. Porter, 1881-1884
David MacMuUen. 1884-1886
Hamdbn. July 28d. 1886.
SAINT MARY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
In September, 1852, the first mass was celebrated by
Father Matthew Hart, in the dwelling house of the late Par-
sons Ives, which stood near the present residence of Jesse
Cooper. At that time there were about thirty Catholics in
the town, and five resident Catholic families, mass being cele-
brated about once a month at their residences. In 1856
ground was purchased for the erection of a church edifice
through the efforts of Father E. J. O'Brien, who ofRciated
once or twice a month for some time, being pastor of St.
Mary's in New Haven.
After Father O'Brien, came Father John Sheridan, pastor
of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Wallingford; and next
Father Mc Allan, from the same church. Father Tliomas
Dreawas Father Mc Allan's successor, and was pastor of
St. Thomas Church in Southington, also having the care of
HISTORIOAL AND DBBCRIPTIVB. 190
the paiisli at Cheshire and at Mt. Carmel. Then came the
present pastor, Father Hugh Mallon, who assumed the
charge August 11, 1867, in addition to his duties at the
Church of the Holy Trinity in Wallingford. In the au-
tumn of the same year an extension of 26 feet was made to
the rear of the church building, at which time the number
of Catholics in the parish had increased to 226. In 1883,
in a census taken by Father Mallon, he found 630 Catholic
residents in his parish. Father Mallon continued in his
labors at Wallingford and Mt. Carmel without assistance
until 1878. Father Patrick Fox was then appointed to be
his assistant and was succeeded by Father James Crowley,
who was followed by Father John Crowley, the present
assistant.
Mass had been celebrated not more than three times
a month previous to the coming of Father Mallon, who com-
menced weekly celebrations, which have continued consec-
utively, with but one or two exceptions, to the present
time.
NEW LEBANON MISSION.
The New Lebanon Mission, located in Hamden, near the
New Haven line in the southern part of the town, is a mis-
sion conducted and supported by the First Church of New
Haven.
It was founded in October, 1868, when its services were
held in the public school house on Morse street.
In May, 1873, having outgrown its old accommodations,
the mission was removed to its own chapel, which had just
been erected.
Sunday School services are held every Sunday afternoon,
and also one preaching service on each Sunday.
The officers of the mission are Justus S. Hotchkiss, super-
intendent, and Miss Rebecca Bacon, assistant superinten-
dent.
200 HAMDBN OENTBNART,
MILITAEY HISTORY.
BY WILLIAM T. SMITH.
|TIERE are no records of the participation by the
early settlers of the region, now included in Ham-
den, in the Indian and the French wars. Yet we
know by tradition that the ancestors of many liv-
ing in the town bore their share of this duty.
Fifty years ago almost every farmer's family had an old
musket, known as one of the *' Queen's arms," inherited,
and carefully kept, for shooting hawks, crows and squir-
rels.
One of the earliest of the recorded organizations is that
mentioned in the prelude to the Act of Incorporation (page
14)— the Seventeenth Military Company in the Second Regi-
ment of Militia. The boundary lines of the extent of this
military company became in part the boundary Unes of the
town.
It is believed that this company was formed about the year
1770. Barber, in his history, page 226, gives the following
list from the muster roll of the first company organized in
the East Plains Society of Hamden. It is stated to be : —
*' A true roll of the 17th company, or trainband, of the Sec-
ond Regiment in the Colony of Connecticut, under the com-
mand of Col. Edward Ailing, Esq., Test, Charles Ailing,
clerk of said company.
MUSTER koll: skventeknth company.
Stephen Ford, Captain; Sohn QtiWi^, Lieutenant; Elisha
Booth, Ensign; Charles Ailing, Clerk; Samuel Cooper,
Hezekiah Tuttle, Drummers; Caleb Ailing, Moses Gilbert,
Joseph Gilbert, Moses Ford, Corporals; Zadock Ailing,
Amos Ailing, Medad Atwater, Abmham Ailing, Ebenezer
A , , Baasett, Ball, Bradley,
HiaTOBIOAL AND DESOBfPTIVE. 201
Bassett, Timothy Cooper, Dan Carrington, Heze-
kiah Dickerman, Jonathan Ford, Stephen Ford, Nathaniel
Ford, Daniel Ford, Michael Gilbert, Gregson Gilbert,
Lemuel Gilbert, Daniel Gilbert, Ebenezer M. Gilbert, John
Gorham, Amos Gilbert, Sackit Gilbert, Nathaniel Heaton,
Jr., John Hubbard, Jr., Hemberston, JohnMunson,
David Munson, Nathaniel Munson, John Manser, Jabez
Mun^on, John Munson, Jr., Job Potter, Abel Potter, Tim-
othy Potter, Levi Potter, Stephen Potter, Thomas Pot-
ter, Jr., Amos Potter, John Roe, Abel Stocjkwell, Thomas
Wm. Talmadge, Daniel Talmadge, Jr., Gordain Turner,
Japhet Tuttle, Josiah Talmadge, Israel Woodin, Silas
Woodin, Privates.
This company hurried to the defense of New Haven at
the time of its invasion by the British forces under Major
General Tryon, July 6, 1779, and lost six of its members,
besides having several wounded. The killed were : Cap-
tain John Gilbert, Michael Gilbert, Samuel Woodin, Silas
Woodin, Joseph Dornuin and Asa Todd. Most of them
were killed near the west end of Broadway by a charge of
grape shot from the enemy. Timothy Bassett was severely
wounded and was supposed to be killed, but he lived for
years after, though a constant sufferer from the wound.
The records of New Haven no doubt contain further in-
formation regarding the service of residents of Hamden in
the War of the Revolution, but, as the town was not set off
until after the close of the war, their names are recorded as
from New Haven.
WAR OF 1812.
From a book containing the roll of the 17th company, 2d
regiment, kept by Capt. Leverett Tuttle, and now in the
possession of his son, Mr. Henry Tuttle, we And the follow-
ing named members of the comi)any, and residents of Ham-
den, who were drafted during the war of 1812-1816 :
Thomas Mix, Joseph Warner, Ebenezer Mansfield, Daniel
Little, Ezekiel Dorman, Edmund Dorman, Lyman Dorman,
HAMDBN OBNTBNARY.
Ira Cooper, Daniel Ashton, Timothy Andrews, Jr., John
Potter, Harvey Bradley, Lyman Mansfield, David Smith,
Merrit Blakeslee, Isaac Jones, Lyman Munson, Dearing
Munson, Jared Benham, Eli Humiston, Jason Bassett, Levi
Baldwin, William Peck, David Warner, Philo Curtis,
Nathaniel Turner, Andrew Hopkins, Samuel Whiting,
Joseph Ball, John Babcock, Matthew G. Blakeslee, Zenas
Mix, James Atwater, Stephen Atwater, Ezra Cooper, David
Smith, Lyman Mansfield, Daniel Austin, William May-
nard, Joseph Warner.
There is no record of the service of these men, whether
they survived the war or not.
In this war when it became necessary to strengthen and
add to the fortifications of New Haven harbor, the adjoin-
ing towns were called on for assistance. One hundred
men went from Hamden to help throw up earthworks on
Beacon Hill, the defense known as Port Woost^r. They
were under the command of Captain Jared Whiting, and
according to the Journal of October 4, 1814, they labored
with great industry and were saluted and cheered by the
citizens of New Haven on their return from the works.
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
Of the sons of Hamden engaged in the War of the Rebel-
lion the records of the town contain almost nothing, either
as regards the quota assigned the town, or the men who en-
listed to fill such quota. From the '' Catalogue of Connec-
ticut Volunteers," published by the State, we find accred-
ited to the Town of Hamden, two hundred and sixty-four
(264) men; but we are unable to determine who were actual
residents of the town, and who came from other places,
attracted by the offer of large bounties. Of this number
twenty-six (26) died in service, thirty-five (35), most of
whom were substitutes or professional bounty jumpers, de-
serted; the remainder received honorable discharges. The
names of all are given by company and regiment as follows:
maWBIOAL AND DE80BIPTIVE,
Second 0. F.
Fred. S. Francis,
Co.D
Third 0. V.
Frederick Berger,
Co. B
John F. Hinman,
B
Joseph Miller,
B
Georee Andrews,
Chftrles T. Wade,
C
C
First Cwocdry, G. V.
Phillip Doeppenschmidt,
William F. Smith,
Co. B
B
John Hunter,
F
William Jones, deserted,
F
John Peterson,
G
Edward Atkinson,
K
William Hancock,
K
Ed. H. Tyler, died,
Charles Moore,
K
L
Franz Sandval,
L
WilUam Clark,
M
mm Artaurif, a r.
John 0. Knight (sub.),
Julius P. Eaislhig (sub.),
Co. B
B
Owen Eeegan,
Charles Johnson, died,
B
Thomas nines (sub.),
D
Albert J. Scott,
E
John Boyle, deserted.
E
Claudius A. Bailey,
F
Charles L. Morse,
F
Julius Johnson, deserted.
F
Darwin K. Brown,
F
Edward King, deserted,
Jedediah Safford,
F
F
Hiram Curtis, deserted.
G
Daniel Osborn, deserted.
G
Thomas Brennan, deserted,
I
John Fitzpatrick,
I
Eli Starr,
I
Isaac V. Warner,
L
Thomas Connelly (sub.),
M
Second ArtiOery, (7. F.
Augustus Hain,
Co. C
John J. Harrover,
H
James W. Weaver, deserted.
I
George Alexander, deserted,
L
Thomas Butterfleld, deserted.
L
James Hart, deserted.
L
John Keeler, deserted,
L
John 0*Brien, deserted,
L
John Ragan,
William Ryan, deserted.
M
M
Julius Zimber, deserted.
M
Fifth IvfatUry, 0. F.
William Roberts, deserted, Co. A
John Lamb, deserted, G
Sixth Irkfantry, O. V.
Andrew Frey, Co. C
Gustavo Frey,
William F. Smith, F
John Miles (sub.), G
John Smith (sub.), I
Merritt L. Potter, K
John H. Cook, K
Charles W. Cooper, K
Andrew Dorman, K
Stephen P. Joice, K
Elias H. Rogers, K
Artismas Tousley, K
John J. Warner, K
SeventJi 0. F.
Benjamin C. Woodin, Co. F
Charles F. Ailing, G
Gkorge W. Malone, G
Francis Russell, ^ G
John Rourke (sub.), * K
Eighth a F
Nelson E. Carrington, Co. A
Henry Crosby (sub.), A
John Williams (sub.), A
Mnth 0. F.
James Hayden, Co. B
John Mulligan, B
Francis Hoey, B
Burnett Murray, deserted^ D
Daniel Farrell, E
John Sullivan, died, E
Francis liousel, F
Andrew Ryan, F
Tenth 0. V.
Benjamin S. Pardee, Co. A
Ezra Dickerman, A
Willis W. Dickerman, A
William II. Freeman, A
Charles W. Grannis, A
James Griffin, died, A
Harmanus Sanford, A
Andrew B. Todd, A
Charles A. Warner, A
John Peters (sub.), deserted, D
Daniel N. Joice, E
John Stewart (sub.), deserted, K
ibi
ttAMDttN OlBNTMNAnr.
Thoma8 W. Drew (sub.), deserted,
John Hadey,
Richard Healey,
Samuel E. JohnBon,
Gtoorge 0. Masse, died,
Henry Smith (sub.), deserted,
Joseph Binder, deserted,
Jacob Guttman,
Charles Miller,
James Messin, killed,
John Smith,
Joseph Wood, died,
August Miller,
Alfred Adoux,
John Brown, .
William Johnson,
Samuel Eeffer,
James Ellis (sub.),
Adolph Pierre, died,
Joseph Bernard, deserted,
Robert Handley, died,
John R. Handley,
Frank Silva, missing,
. Twelfth 0. K
Richard I. Howard, deserted.
Thirteenth 0, V.
Edward Stone,
William Flaherty,
Norman Hotchkiss,
George Donnell,
George M. Ailing,
Julius H. Dorman,
James A. Malone,
mmrteentii 0. V,
Charles B. Wilson,
John Garvey, deserted.
Fifteenth 0. V.
James Anderson,
John Buckley,
George Burke, deserted,
Michael McCormick, deserted,
Edward Birmingham,
Dennis Ducket,
Bart Fecci,
Pedro Bozart, died,
Henry Girard,
Hans Losen,
William W. Owens.
William Walker,
Pat. Burke,
Adam Hoffman,
John Thormnn,
Co.A
B
B
B
B
B
O
D
D
E
E
F
G
H
H
H
I
K
K
E
K
K
Co. B
Co.A
B
B
G
H
H
H
Co.
Co.
William Lowe,
I
William 0. Mix,
I
John H. Russell,
K
Frank Peconi,
K
EigJUe&nth 0, V.
Henry S. Bugbee, deserted.
Co. I
Henry Cumow,
Co.A
James Ely (sub.), deserted,
A
Jacob Hudnite (sub.).
F
Henry L. Ailing,
G
Harvey M. Ailing,
G
George C. Hitchcock,
G
Cecil A. Burleigh,
l^obert E. Paddock,
Willis A. Bradley,
Samuel V. Beckwlth,
Asahel C. Austin,
William Beach,
Jool C. Dickorman, killed,
Alfred Martin,
George M. Brown,
Chnilos V. Stillmiui,
Mark E. Dickorman,
Bradley Allen,
Burton S. Bradley,
John H. Bradley,
Francis C. Barrows,
William H. Bailey,
Charles T. Bailey,
George M. Clark,
Heniy F. Cook,
John E. Calkins,
Hobart B. Doolittle,
Howard B. Donnan,
John H. Fahey,
Michael Hussey,
Brainerd T. Ives,
William Johnson,
Franklin Johnson,
Julius S. Merwin, deserted.
Bernard Mulvoy, killed,
James Mczin,
Elihu Moulthrop,
Zenas Nash, deserted,
Orrin A. Root,
Augustus Rannes,
John Reily,
Joshua Smallman,
Edward Smallman,
George Smith,
Curtis Tuttle, died.
Isaac V. Warner,
Louis Danncr, died,
K
HtSTOmOAL AND DESVRIPTIVB.
d05
Tmnty-fourVi G. V.
William M. Barbour, Com. Seg't
Richard Cronan, Co. H
Thomas A. Dowling, H
AloDzo Mabbet,
Jesse B. Gilbert,
Lorenzo L. Goodyear, died,
Wallace U. Warner.
Charles E. Allen,
Lymau I. Goodyear, died,
Albert B. Candee,
Hobart Wooding, died,
George Harlow,
Lyman Warner,
Albert M, Ives,
Edwin R. Whiting,
Noah W. Ailing,
Edgar D. Ives, killed,
Andrew Peck, died,
John Murphy.
Ansel J. Doolittle,
Jerome H. Payne,
Arthur Ashton,
Julius Curtis, died,
David Cowell,
Edwin H. Fenton,
Gardner F. Goodyear, died,
Marshall Gaylord, died,
William Lowry, deserted,
Harvey Mcrrimau, killed,
Noyes Mcrriman,
Thomas McGuire,
Horace Pierpont, died,
Michael Shannon,
James M. Williams,
Frank Kraw,
Co. K
William Vanderbrake,
K
Tmnty-fUnih 0, V.
John W. Willlauis, killed,
Co.B
John W. Gross.
D
Jacob Trusty,
D
John H. Ashley,
F
Henry Camper, died.
F
John Dennis,
F
Alexander Higgins,
F
Joseph R. Sills,
F
James Jackson,
G
Phillip Jones, Jr.,
Andrew Seaman,
Henry Williams, died,
James W. Brewster,
Lawson Alexander,
George Havelow,
Joseph Humphrey,
William Smith,
John Tibbitts,
Lewis II. Williams,
George Simmons, deserted,
James Williams,
ThirUeth G, F.
Spencer Berdan,
George Jackson,
Unaligned BeeruiU,
John Burns.
Joseph Burnett.
WiUiamBurk.
John Donnelly.
Patrick Doland.
Thomas Henry.
Henry Horiser.
Peter Haggerty.
James King.
James Kelly.
Charles H. Leland.
Henry S. Lansdale.
Isaac McKensy.
Robert McGregor
Patrick Roberts.
Michael Sullivan.
Patrick Smith.
Henry Tubbs.
Thomas Williams.
Richard Biffin.
Patrick Kenney.
John Smith.
James Lawton.
Peter Fox.
John Kelly.
John Hoyt.
Henry Peebles.
Isaac W. Vogel.
Miles Burke.
Michael Ea^n.
Henry Van Durgan.
George Johnson.
Richard Watson.
H
H
H
Co.
C
George Bird, colored, now a resident of the town, also
served throughout the war, chiefly with the Army of the
Potomac.
To write the record of the services of these men would
d06 HAMDBN OSNTSNARY.
be to write a history of the war. They were in all the prin-
cipal military operations of the war, except in the extreme
west. They were in the Army of the Potomac, from Bnll
Run to Appomatox, and in North Carolina under Bumside.
They were among the first to tread the rebellious soil of
South Carolina. They were found in the Department of
the Gulf ; at Chattanooga and on the '^ March to the Sea."
They did their duty nobly as soldiers of the Union, some
of them giving their lives for their flag and country. Ham-
den sent them to represent her and to fight her battles
for her. What has the town done for themi Search
throughout the town and nothing can be found to tell
their story, or to commemorate their deeds. It would
seem eminently proper that the town should take some ac-
tion, to show its gratitude, and to hand down to future gen-
erations a record of the patriotism and fidelity of its sons.
HISTOBIOAL AND DB80BIPTIVB. Wl
EXTRACTS FROM THE TOWN RECORDS.
|HE first volume of records containing a copy of
the Act of Incorporation consists chiefly of a
record of the annual and special town meetings
and the votes passed at those meetings, with
full lists of the Selectmen and other officers chosen.
It appears to have been the only volume for miscellane-
ous records, as we find in one portion of it a list of
the freemen admitted ; a record of marriages and births ;
records of the various brands used by the inhabitants for
their cattle, horses and sheep ; records of the impounding
of cattle, sales of estrays, etc., etc.
The Proprietors' records of the town, especially for the
first thirty years or more, give abundant evidence of the
pastoral pursuits of the people. There are numerous rec-
ords of the marks of stock held by various residents. Most
of these marks were not by branding, but by cropping or
perforating the ears; for example: "Alfred Dorman's
mark is a square crop of the left ear ;" ''Sherman W. Gor-
ham's mark is three holes the under side of the right ear;'*
" Wilbert Tliomas' mark is a hole in the left ear."
Tlie binding and leaves of the first volume having become
much worn, and the text in danger of obliteration and loss,
the Centennial Executive Committee caused it to be care-
fully transcribed.
Ab much of the space is taken up by the ordinances from
year to year relating to the roaming of cattle, swine and
geese upon the highways and commons of the town, and
by other minor details qf the town government, it was
deemed unadvisable to print the whole contents of the book,
and selections of only the more interesting and important
items have therefore been made.
SOS UAMDttN OBNTBHART.
' — - — ■ ■ ■ ' I _
FIBST MEETTKO OF THE TOWN AFTER THE INCORPORATION —
ELECTION OF OFFICERS.
At a meeting of the inhabitants of the town of Ilaniden,
pursuant to an act of the General Assembly holden at
Hartford on the 2d Thursday of May, Anno Domini 1786,
holden at said Hamden the 3d Tuesday of June, 1786,
Simeon Bristol, Esq., moderator.
Yoted^ That Simeon Bristol, Esq., be town clerk for the
remainder of the present year.
Yotedy That Messrs. John Hubbard, Asa Goodyear, Sam-
uel Dickerman, Moses Gilbert, Simeon Bristol, Esq., be Se-
lectmen of this town for the remainder of the present year.
Votedy That Samuel Humiston and George A. Bristol
be constables of this town for the remainder of the present
year.
Votedy That Messrs. Samuel Humiston, John Hubbard,
Thos. Mix, Joel Pord, Saml. Dorman, Amos Bradley,
Caleb Doolittle, Hezh. Bassett, Medad Ailing, Joseph
Johnson, be surveyors of highways for this town for the
remainder of the present year.
Votedy That Messrs. Jonathan Dickerman and Stephen
Ford be fence viewers for the remainder of this year for
this town.
Votedy At the meeting aforesaid, that Messrs. Saml.
Bellamy, Jonathan Ives, Jr., Benjn. Gaylord, Jr., Ste-
phen Goodyear, Job Todd, Medad Atwater, Abm. Ailing,
Stephen Todd, Samuel Hummiston, Benjn. Wooding,
Joel Goodyear, be listers for this town for the present
year.
Votedy That Messrs. Joseph Benham and Joel Hough be
leather sealers for this town for the present year.
Votedy That Messrs. Samuel Atwater, Jr., James Bas-
sett, Jr., Amos Peck, Alvin Bradley, be Grand Jurors for
this town for the remainder of the present year.
msTomoAt Am pjtsoRipnve.
Votedy That Messrs. Sacket Gilbert, Danl. Talmage, Jr.,
Calvin Mallafy, Elisha Atwater, be Tythingmeh for this
year for the towii aforesaid.
Voted^ That Danl. Bradley and Eli Bradley, be Scalers of
Weights and Measures for this town for the tetnainder of
the l)resent year.
Votedy That Messri^. Tilnothy Potter, Asa (Joodyear,
Ebenr. Beach, Caleb Ailing, Benn. Gaylord, jr., be Key
Keepers for this town for the present year.
Voted at the meeting aforesaid that Messrs. Simeon Bris-
tol, John Hubbard, Thos. Goodyear, Isaac Dickerman,
Elisha Booth be a committee for the purpose of dividing
the town stock, poor, etc., with the town of New Haven.
Voted at the meeting aforesaid that swine be suffered to
go at large, being ring'd and yok'd from this date until the
10th of Deer. next.
Voted^ That an annual town meeting be held in this town
on the second Monday of Deer* in each year and that all
future meetings of this town be warn'd, except meetings
held by adjournment, by a written Notification thereof
specifying the time and place of such meeting, set upon the
Sign post and two Extreme Taverns in the Society of Mount
Carmel and one such Notification at one public House on
the road at the East and West Faims or Plains signed by
the major part of the Selectmen for the time being at least
iive days before such meeting.
The foregoing Votes were passed at the aforesaid town
meeting. Test,
Simeon BitiSTOt, Toton Qlerk.
SPEOIAL MEETING — ^TAXES, HIGHWAYS, ETO.
"A special meeting of the inhabitants of the town of
Hamden" was "legally warned and convened on the 16th
day of November, A. D. 1786, Dr. Elisha Chapman was
chosen Clerk of said meeting pro tempore and sworn."
*^Baszel Munson, Esq., was chosen moderator, and George
27
ftld iiAMJbsif dJiNtJiirAitt
Augustus Bristol, Collector of ** Taxes that are or may be
laid by the State on the List for the year 1785." It was
voted that **the Selectmen for the time being be impow-
ered to divide the highways into regular districts and the
same set out and assign to the surveyors and the inhabi-
tants living within the same. ^^Jabez Bradley was chosen
surveyor of highways in the room of Amos Bradley, who
refuses to serve."
The annual meeting of the town, held on the 11th day of
December,. 1786, was adjourned **to Monday, the 18th day
of December instant at 12 o'clock." At the adjourned
meeting "Messrs. John Hubbard, Samuel Dickerman,
Moses Gilbert, Theophilus Goodyear and Abraham Ailing
were chosen Selectmen for the year insuing," and Jesse
Goodyear was chosen Treasurer. It was voted that *^this
town tax themselves 4 d. on the Pound for defraying the
necessary Expense arising upon this town for the year en-
suing. " " Also, that Mr. John Hubbard be Collector of the
above rate, and that as a reward for that service he receive
out of the town treasury the sum of Ten Pound S. M."
[Sterling Money].
niGHWAYS.
• 1786. Votedj The selectmen for tlie time being be im-
powered to divide the highways into regular districte, and
the same to set out and assign to the several surveyors and
the inhabitants living within the same.
Votedy That this town provide timber and plank for the
purpose of building a bridge over a brook near the dwel-
ling house of Oapt. Gill.
DIVISION OP TOWN BURDENS OF HAMDEN AND NEW HAVEN.
1787. Voted, That this town, taking into consideration
the number and extent of the bridges within the same; the
numerous roads, length and extreme badness thereof, are
of opinion that the same are our full proportion, of
burdens of that kind lying upon the town of New Haven
HI8T0BI0AL AND DE80RIPTIVB. 211
previous to our separation, that we will therefore take no
further burden except the same be aflBLsed upon us by the
committee appointed by the Honorable General Assembly.
Voted^ That this town will pay and discharge all arrear-
ages of State taxes due from the poor inhabitants thereof
previous to our separation from the town of New Haven,
which have not been abated nor can be collected, provided
the towns of New Haven, East Haven and North Haven
will do the same for the poor inhabitants of their respec-
tive towns.
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
1787. At a meeting of the town of Hamden, on the sec-
ond Monday of November, 1787, pursuant to a recommen-
dation of General Assembly of this State, in their ses-
sion in October last, to choose a delegate to represent this
town in a convention, to be holden at Hartford on the first
Thursday of January next, to take into consideration the
constitution recommended by the late convention of the
United States at Philadelphia.
At the meeting aforesaid the question was put, whether
this town approve of the aforesaid constitution %
Votedy In the negative — Yeas 6, nays 73.
At the meeting aforesaid, Mr. Theopilus Goodyear was
chosen to represent this town in the convention, to be
holden at Hartford, on the first Thursday of January next.
Attest, Simeon Bristol, Olerk,
PLAINS AND EAST FARMS HIGHWAY.
1787. December. Votedy That Messrs. Simeon Bristol,
Samuel Atwater, Bajzet Munson, Esq., be a committee to
join the selectmen of this town to view the places proposed
by the inhabitants of the Plains and East Farms for the
purpose of a highway and make report of their opinion
thereon to the next town meeting.
2ia HAMDEN OENTBNAB^T.
INOCULATION FOR SMALL POX.
1788. March. The question was put whether liberty
shall be given to Docts. Aaron and Joseph Eliot to set up a
Hospital for the purpose of Enoculation for the small pox
at the dwelling house of John Hubbard, Esqr., under such
restrictions and regulations as shall be prescribed by the
civil authority and selectmen of this town. Yoted in the
negative.
STAMPING LEATHER.
Yotedy That the capital letters H G be stamped on such
leather as they judge to be sufficiently tanned.
OPPOSITION TO SECESSION.
A^ a meeting of the town of Hamden, May 6, 1788, Capt.
Samuel Atwater was chosen Moderator.
Wlj.ereas Gapt. John Gill and others, inhabitants of this
town, have preferred their memorial to the General Assem-
bly to be holden at Hartford on the second Thursday of
May instant, praying to be annexed to the town, of North
Haven. Yotedy That this town will oppose said memorial-
ists and the matters contained in said memorial so far as
the same affects this town.
APPRAISAL AND SALE OP ESTRAT8.
1789. December. Upon application of Amos Basset of
Hamden, Capt. Moses Gilbert and Lieut. Samuel Hummis-
ton were appointed to apprise the stray creatures in cus-
tody ot said Basset an^ one creq^ture in custody of Joel
Ford described as per record, which creatures had been in
their custody for 6 months past.
1790. Jan, 4. Capt. Moses Gilbert and Lieut. Samuel
Humiston made return under this date of the appraisement
of the above creatures as follows :. (viz.)
HI8T0RI0AL AND DB80RIPTIVB, 2ia
1 Cow in custody of b<> Basset, at £2 2 8 d
1 '• •' " " llBsOd
£818a0d
1 Calf in custody of Joel Ford, at 1 SsOd
£6 IsOd
Amos Basset exhibited an acct. for keeping 2 cattle and other ex-
penses allowed £2 15 8 d
Joel Ford exhibited an acct for keeping one calf and other ex-
penses allowed 1 8 4 d
£815B4d
Balance due the Treasurer of the Town of Hamden SSt C^ cT 8'd
WOODBUIDGB BOUNDARY LINE.
1792. January. Voted that the Selectmen be empow-
ered by themselves or a committee of their appointing,,
to settle the line between the town of Woodbridge and this
town either by agreement or submitting the same to judi-
cious arbitrators.
^ TOWN HOUSE.
1703. Jan. 7. Voted, that Messrs. Thio'ls Goodyear, Sim-
eon Bristol, Moses Gilbert, Joshua Munson, Alvan Bradley,
and Samuel Bellamy be a com' tee for the purpose of procur-
ing subscriptions for building a Town House.
WORK HOUSE.
1795. January. Voted, That the honorable Court of.
Common Pleas for the County of New Haven be requested
to call a meeting of the civil authority in the several towns,
of this county, to consider of the expediency of building
and supplying a Work House for the benefit of the County.
SUPPORT OF THE POOR.
1796. September. Voted, That Simeon Bristol, Isaac
Dickerman and Caleb Ailing be desired to join the Select-
men of this town and with them confer, consult and report
a plan for the more easy and comfortable support of the
poor of this town, with their opinion upon that subject to
the next annual town meeting.
214 RAMDEN OBNTENART
OBDIKANOB BBSPBOTINO OBBSB.
A by-law made by s'd town of Hamden at the meeting
aforesaid warned for that purpose : Be it ordained by said
town of Hamden in lawfull meeting assembled, that when
any goose, geese or geese kind shall be found in any en-
closure except that of the owner or owners thereof not
yoked with good and sufficient yokes, each part or piece
thereof being at least 15 inches long, it shall be lawfull for
person finding said goose, geese or geese kind in his or her
enclosure to take the same into his or her custody and
keeping, giving notice thereof as soon as may be to the
owner or owners thereof if known, and if such owner or
owners after notice given as aforesaid shall neglect to ap-
pear within four days and pay to the person or persons
holding said geese or geese kind 4 cents per head, also all
just damages done by said geese and cost of keeping, said
geese shall be forfeited to the person holding the same in
custody, * * .* * * * *
TOWN LINE.
Voted^ That Samuel Bellamy be agent for this town to
prefer a petition to the Hon'bl General Assembly, to be
holden at New Haven in October next, to straiten the line
between the town so as to conform to the original petition
for an act to incorporate this town.
1797. January. Jesse Gilbert was chosen agent to pre-
fer a petition to the General Assembly, to be holden at
Hartford in May next, to straiten the south line of this
town,
HIGHWAY.
1801. Shall the highway proposed by Deacon Stephen
Goodyear and others be laid out beginning at the old high-
way near Mr. Jesse Jones' house, from thence to Cheshire
road near Mount Carmel meeting house. Voted in the
negative.
iirsToktoAt ANb VEsohiPriVii. SiU
HAKTFORD TURNPIKE AND 0HE8HIRB TURNPIKE.
1803. For votes relating to these two turnpikes, see the
chapter on Public Works.
TOWN POOR.
1805. Voted, To take into consideration whether we will
remove our town meetings, or build a town house, or re-
main as we are.
1806. Voted, Resolved that three auditors of town ac-
counts be appointed, whose duty it shall be to examine into
the state of the finances of the town ; to fix upon a specific
method of keeping town accounts, and in conjunction with
the selectmen to make report to the town at the adjourned
meeting on the 7th of April next.
Eli Whitney, Esq., Amasa Bradley, John Hubbard, Esq.,
were appointed auditors agreeable to the above vote.
CONSTITUTION FOR STATE OF OONNEOTIOUT.
1818. At a town meeting, held by adjournment, in Ham-
den January 5, 1818, Amasa Bradley, Esq., moderator. Vo-
ted, Resolved that the representative of this town in the
next General Assembly be, and he is hereby requested, to
use his influence that measures be immediately taken for
forming a written constitution of civil government for the
State of Connecticut, and that the town clerk furnish said
representative with a certified copy of the foregoing reso-
lution.
1818, July. At a meeting of the qualified voters in town
and freemen's meetings, legally warned and held in Ham-
den, Amasa Bradley was chosen presiding officer. Russel
Pierpont was chosen Delegate to meet in convention at the
State House, in Hartford, on the fourth Wednesday of Au-
gust next, for the purpose of forming a constitution of
civil government for the people of this State.
PRBSIDENTIAL ELE0T0B8.
1820. At a meeting of the electors of the town of Ham-
den, legally warned and held for the purpose of choosing
electors of President and Vice-President of the United
States, Jared Bassett, Esq., was chosen presiding officer.
PHYSICIAN TO BE INVITED TO SETTLE IN THE TOWN.
1821. Yoted^ That the Selectmen be requested to invite
some able physician to settle in this town.
PARMINGTON CANAL.
1822. At a special town meeting held April 1, 1822,
warned on account of the canal from New Haven to Farm-
ington, Amasa Bradley, Esq., moderator, it was voted to
adjourn this meeting without day.
1827. Voted^ That Joel Ford, Esq;, as agent for said
town [Hamden] and Allen Dickerman, Alfred Bassett and
Michael Leek, selectmen of said town, be directed and fully
authorized to request the Farmington Canal Corporation to
locate and put in immediate repair the public highways in
said town which has [have] been taken in consequence of said
canal and also to make convenient bridges for public travel,
and if said corporation refuse and neglect to locate and put
in good repair said roads and bridges as aforesaid, said
agent and selectmen be directed and proceed as they think
proper to bring any suit against said corporation or indi-
vidual and them obUge to make such roads and bridges as
they are required by law.
IMPOUNDING HORSES AND OATTLE.
1830. Voted^ That if any horse or horse kind be found
going at large on the highways or commons in the town of
Hamden the year ensuing, it shall be the duty of the Hay-
wards and lawful for any other person to impound the same,
and the fees for impounding shall be eighteen cents each,
one-third to the pound keeper and the other two-thirds to
the impounder.
mSTOmOAL AND DESOniPTIVB. 217
. , , I, — «
1832. January. Votedj That all neat cattle, horses and
mules be restrained from going at large on the highways
and commons within the town of Hamden the ensuing year
under a penalty of eighteen cents per head for neat cattle,
and twenty-five cents for horses and mules, each ; one-half
to tlie impounder and the remainder to the pound keeper,
and it shall be the duty of the Hay wards, and lawful for
any freeholder, to impound any cattle, horses or mules so
going at large.
1834. At a special town meeting legally warned and held
Deer. 15, 1834, for the purpose of providing an Alms House,
or work-house, for the town poor, Joel Ford, Esq., was
chosen Moderator. Votedj That the Selectmen be requested
and impowered to purchase a situation at the expense of
s'd town for the purpose of converting it to a house of
correction for the accommodation of the poor of s'd town
and all those who shall become disorderly, in consequence
of which it shall be thought necessary to place them under
the management and control of the keeper of said house,
but if considered by the selectmen not proper, or ex-
pedient, at the present time, to contract with some suitable
person or persons to support the poor of s'd town for such
term as they, the Selectmen, shall deem desirable.
218 HAMDBN OBNTBNART.
THE POOR OF THE TOWN.
BT 0. P. AUOUK.
|E find by the act of incorporation that careful
provision was made that the inhabitants of the
new town of Hamden should ''take upon them
the charge and support of their part of the town
poor of said town of New Haven in proportion as afore-
said."
Our ancestors were careful to prevent any undue accession
to the numbers of the town poor by providing that when
any transient person, ''without any visible means of sup-
port," came within our borders they were soon warned to
"depart the town," by the selectmen, that they might not
gain a settlement here.
The poor that really belonged to the town were cared for
either by being "set up to public vendue," singly or all
together, and bid off to the lowest bidder, or placed Mth
suitable persons, under the direction of the selectmen, as
witness the following votes passed at a town meeting
held Dec. 11th, 1815 : " Voted, That if any person shall
appear to bid off all of the aforesaid town poor for a less
sum than they shall amount to singly, they shall have the
privilege ; all under the care and direction of the select-
men."
" Yotedy That whoever shall bid off the whole of the
town poor for the ensuing year, shall be required to give a
bond with sureties to the selectmen in the sum of $1,500,
conditioned that the poor, so bid off by him, shall be pro-
vided and furnished with comfortable food, clothing and
mSTOBIOAL AND DEaOHIPTIVE, 310
lodging, and lire wood during the timo for which he under-
takes to support them."
TOWN FARM.
In December, 1834, a committee was appointed to "inves-
tignite and report on the feasibility of purchasing a place
for an almshouse, where the poor of the town could be
kept."* And from that time until Feb. 15th, 1850, other
committees were appointed for the same purpose nearly
every year,. but no deiinite action was taken until the latter
date, when the Tuttle farm was purchased for the purpose,
and so used until 1861, when it was sold, and the Brooks'
farm, the present town fann, was occupied as such, it hav-
ing been willed to the town by Mr. Enos Brooks, subject
to a life lease of his wife, Mrs. Roxana Brooks.
The will stipulated that the income of the farm '^ should
be applied to the maintenance of the roads and bridges of
tlie town," whicli stipulation ha-s been complied with on
fcJio pnj't; ot the k)W]i.
Soon after the town took possession of the farm, the
selectmen compromised witli Mrs. Brooks by paying her a
certain sum annually during her life, and it is a somewhat
remarkable fact, that, after being away from the place,
nearly twenty years, she was brought back to her old home,
where she died in the fall of 1880, and the town erected a
suitable jnonument to her memory.
New buildings were erected on the farm by the town at
an expense of some four thousand dollars, and the present
accommodations are deemed ample for the comfort of the
inmates, who are always under the care of a competent
superintendent and matron.
The farm is situated in the extreme northern part of the
town, and contains one hundred and eighteen acres of land.
The average number of inmates for several years has been
from ten to twelve.
*See extracts from Records, 1884.
HAMDBN OBNTBNART.
The streets of New Haven already eirtend to and over the
southern border of the town. The town line lies directly
across the Prospect street ridge, and crosses the middle of
the reservoir of the New Haven Water Works. Tlie' north
ends of Prospect street, of Winchester Avenue, of Shelton
Avenue and of Dixwell Avenue, are within the town limits.
So, also, are the following named streets : Goodrich, Marl-
boro, Morse, Arch, Beaver, Warner, Burke, Dix, Connel,
Dudley, Allen, Edwards, North, Armory, and Mill Rock
streets.
This advancing wave of population already entails special
care and expense upon the town. At present, the greater
number of the incomers are persons of extremely moderate
means, and many of them are, or soon become, paupers and
a burden to the town.
According to the census returns of 1880, the population
of some of the chief centers, or villages, in the town of
Hamden, was approximately as follows; the limits of the
villages not being sharply defined:
Augerville, ...... 62
Ceuterville, ..... 191
Hamburg, . ' . . . . .477
Ivesville, ...... 474
Whitneyville, . . . . . .196
The following table, taken in part from the census re-
ports, direct, and in part from the Connecticut Register and
Howe's History of New Haven, shows the number of inhab-
itants in the town at the end of each decennial period from
1790 to 1880 inclusive, and the population of New Haven
for the same year. It is evident that the increase has not
been great. The growth of the town in inhabitants has
been slow. The population in numbers is not three times
as great as it was in 1790, while in New Haven the number
is about fifteen times as great as it was in 1790. It shows
the centralizing attrnction of cities. New Haven is now
growing more rapidly than ever before, and the indications
are strong that the town of Hamden will soon begin to fill
HIBTOBIOAL AND DBBORIPTIVB.
up rapidly from the overflow of the city population. Jtue
horse railways contribute somewhat to the increase of the
population of the suburbs of the city, and when they be-
come sufficiently powerful and far-sighted to surmount the
small natural obstacle of the Mill Rock trap dyke, there
will be a rapid expansion of population upon the high
plains beyond it.
POPULATION.
TBAR.
OF HAMOBN.
OF MBW HAYBM.
1790
1,423
4.448
1800
1,482
6,167
1810
1.716
6,607
1820
1,687
8,827
1880
1,666
10,678
1840
1,707
16,820
1850
2,164
22,629
1860
2,728»
89.277
1870
8,028
50,840
1880
8,408
62,88Q
^According to Consus Roport, 2,708.
ad4 HAMDSN OBNTBNART,
mi
SOCIETIES.
DAY SPRING LODGE— MASONIC.
lY Spring Lodge, No. 80, F. and A. M., was in-
stituted by virtue of a Warrant grantM May
15tli, 1794, by tlie Most Woi*sliipf ul Grand Lodge
■of the State of Connecticut, to the following
named petitioners : Samuel Bellamy, George A. Bristol,
Amasa Bradley, Tully Crosby, Ezra Kimberly, Levi Tuttle,
Leverett Kimberly, Simeon Goodyear, Job Munson ; and
the following officers were therein appointed, viz : Samuel
Bellamy, W. M.; George A. Bristol, S. W.; Amasa Brad-
ley, J. W.
The Lodge was organized ^' at a Special Grand Lodge of
Free and Accepted Masons, holden at the house of Bro.
Samuel Bellamy, at Hamden, on Tuesday, 30th of Decem-
ber, Anno Lucis 5794. Present : M. W. William Judd, G.
M.: Peter Johnson, S. W. pro tem.; Trihand Kirtland, J.
W. pro tem.; Elihu Sanford, Treas. pro tem.; David Dag-
gett, Sec' y pro tem."
The house of Bro. Samuel Bellamy, wl\ere the Lodge was
organized, is still in existence, standing a few rods above
the Congregational church at Mount Carmel, the old Far-
mington canal passing just in front, with a few ancient-
looking poplars before the house, on the west bank. Here
our brethren of **ye olden time'' assembled to perform
their labors in the solemn rites of masonry.
The minutes of the first communication are as follows :
'*Day Spring Lodge held agreeable to the Master's order,
Monday evening Jan. 12, A. L. 6795. Members present at
Bro. Bellamy's : Bro. Samuel Bellamy, Master ; Bro. Geo.
A. Bristol, S. W. ; Bro. Amasa Bradley, J. W. ; Bro. Ezra
Kimberly, Sec'y; Bro. Job Munson, Treas.; Bro, Simeon
mSTOmOAL AND DBSdRIPTUra. 885
Goodyear, Bro. Levi Tuttle, Bro. Leverett Kimberly, Bro.
Luman Frisbie, Tyler. Proposed : Elias Hotohkiss, by
Bro. Simeon Groodyear ; Jared Goodyear, by our Worship-
ful Master ; they to be initiated the next Lodge evening."
The next communication was held Thursday evening,
Jan. 22.
It is recorded that on ^^ June 26, A. L. 6798, the Brethren
met, according to adjournment, for the celebration of St.
John's day, and convened to the meeting house, where a
sermon was delivered by Bro. Balden."
On the 28th day of February, 1805, it was ^' voted that
this Lodge be removed to the house of Mrs. Barber, and
that hereafter the Lodge meet at said place."
On Jan. 28, 1813, it was "voted that our stated Lodges
be on the Monday preceding the full moon in each month,
at five o'clock p. m., except that whenever the moon shall
full on Monday, that shall be the day, according to the
proposition of Brother Elam Bradley, made last Lodge,
Dec. 24, 1812."
At a communication held Dec. 18, 1816, "Bro. Whiting
proposed that the Lodge be removed before our next Lodge
night." The Lodge voted to remove to the house of Bro.
Eliphalet Gregory, and on Jan. 8, 1816, the Lodge met and
probably occupied their new room. The house was situated
a few rods below the present residence of Dr. E. D. Swift,
and was for a time open to the public as a hotel or tavern.
The building was destroyed by fire over thirty years ago.
No records of communications appear after May 18, 1829,
until May 2, 1836, when a communication was held, at
which Bro. Leverett Hitchcock was chosen Master, Dr. 0,
B. Foote, S. W.; Julius S. ToUes, J. W.; Elam Warner,
Treas.; Lewis Goodyear, Sec'y ; Leverett Hotchkiss, S. D.;
James Wiles, J. D.; Eli Hull, Tyler and Steward. This
communication adjourned to *'our regular communication
in October next ;" and this closes the record until the re-
suscitation of the Lodge, Friday evening, Dec, 2, A- L,
6870.
HAMDBN OBNTBJSTART,
The Charter of Day Spring Lodge was surrendered to the
Grand Lodge, A. D. 1838, by Bro. Leverett Hitchcock. In
A. D. 1870, Bro. Norris B. Mix, desiring the re-establish-
ment of Day Spring Lodge, obtained of the following named
brethren their signatures for a restoration of the old Char-
ter : Leverett Hitchcock, Roswell F. Stillman, Edwin W.
Potter, Norris B. Mix, Gilbert S. Benham, Jesse Cooper,
Brainard T. Ives.
In May, 1870, Bro. Mix visited the Grand Lodge at Hart-
ford, and procured the Charter ; Bro. Leverett Hitchcock
being at this time the only living member in the town.
After reorganizing, the Lodge occupied the room from
which it removed to its present location, a little over four
years. On the 4th of March, A. L. 5875, Day Spring Lodge
came into its present elegant Lodge room, after dedication
by the Grand Lodge.
AKOIBNT OBDEB OF HIBEBNIANS.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians is a benevolent organi-
zation composed of Irishmen and men of Irish descent. It
has branches all over the United States, Ireland, England,
and Canada.
The First Division, A. 0. H., of Hamden, was organized
in 1873. It has fifty-five members, and is in a flourishing
condition. The officers are : President, Patrick Maher ;
Vice-President, Andrew McKeon ; Recording Secretary,
Thomas Dunn; Financial Secretary, James O'Connell;
Treasurer, Michael Kelly.
mSTOBIOAL AND DSaOBIPTIVB. 327
FAMILY HISTORY NOTICES.
|HE following brief genealogical and biographical
notices of some of the families and individuals
who have been prominently identified with the
history of the town, have been prepared in part
from the records of the town, and partly from data sup-
plied by living representatives of the families. Applica-
tion for information was made direct to many of the heads
of families, descendants of the early residents and settlers,
with a request for genealogical records, and short sketches
of family history and traditions, but the responses have
been few, and often- meagre. Repeated personal solicita-
tion has, however, secured some interesting data which are
embodied in the following notices, arranged in alphabetical
sequence. Many of these notices are of necessity very in-
complete, and many are disjointed ; but it is hoped that
the facts may be of some value, and that some important
genealogical information may in this way be preserved,
which otherwise might be lost. Many prominent names
are reluctantly, but necessarily, omitted by reason of the
absence of any data regarding them.
ALLING.
It has been impossible to procure, in season for this
volume, any extended connected history of the Ailing
family.
Roger Alling, from England 1639. Treasurer of the
New Haven colony 1001. Deacon of the church 1669-74,
d. 16 Aug., 1683. He m. Mary Nash, dau. of Thomas
Nash. Five children. Savage names two daughters in
addition.
bamdbn obntsnamt.
Samuel Alling, son of Roger, b. Nov. 4, 1645, d. Aug.
28, 1707, m. (1) Oct. 24, 1667, Elizabeth, dau. of John
Winston, who d. Dec. 8, 1682 ; (2) Oct. 26, 1683, Sarah dau.
of John Chidsey. Eight children. The eldest:
Samuel Alling (2d), b. Oct. 16, 1688, of Davis's Hill,
father of Ebenezer, to whom he deeded half of his house
on Davis's Hill. (Tuttle book, p. 190.)
Ebenezer Alling, b. Nov 20, 1712, d. 1764, m. Nov. 1,
1733, Mary Tuttle, b. 1711-12, only daughter of Deacon
Joshua Tuttle, November 1, 1733, who afterwards m. Asa
Todd.
Caleb Alling, Selectman 1791-93 and 1797 and 1798. In
1795, at a meeting of those interested in forming a new
church organization in Hamden, Mr. Caleb Alling gave
notice that his house would be open on the Sabbath for
public worship. The names of Charles Ailing, Hannah
Ailing, Abraham Ailing and Abigni I Alling n.i)pear amongst
those who formed the first organization of the Hamden
Plain Society.
Abraham Alling, b. in Dutchess Co., State of New
York, about 1763, and removed to a farm in the western
part of Hamden, about 1769. Pastor of the Congregational
Society in Hamden Plain for twenty-five years, d. 1837.
For an extended history of life and Christian work refer-
ence is made to the article by llev. Austin Putnam on the
Hamden East Plain Society. Mr. Alling is presumably the
same who was chosen selectman from 1787 to 1789.
Medad Alling and Nathan Ailing, Junr., were admitted
freemen in 1787 ; Asa Ailing, freeman, 1812 ; Lyman
Alling, 1815 ; Samuel, 1817 ; Ezra, 1818.
BASSETT, OR BASSET.
The name of Basset is well known in British annals, and
is prominent in the history of the Landed Gentry of Eng-
land. According to Burke, the family of Bassett, eminent
amongst the baronial houses of England, derives its descent
from Thurston Basset, a Norman, to whom the Conqueror
mSTOmOAL AND DEBOBIPTIYB.
gave the manor of Drayton in Staffordshire. A peerage
in this English family became extinct in January, 1866. A
Basset was a follower of Somerset, whose quarrel with
Vernon, at the coronation of Henry VI., Shakespeare has
recorded. One of the Basset family was Lord Mayor of
London in the year 1475.
The English orthography of the name is usually Basset.
In the earlier records of New Haven Colony it is Bassett,
but it is, occasionally. Basset.
At the General Court of New Haven Colony held July 1,
1644, Robert Bassett took the oath of fidelity at the same
time with Theophilus Eaton, Stephen Goodyear and Joh:
Bassett.
We read of Robt. Bassett, the drummer, in 1646, and
later he seems to have made considerable noise and disturb-
ance in the colony in another way— by free speech, of which
he may be considered the first shining example in America.
Another member of the Basset family, John Basset, and
probably Robert's father, appears to have been a most use-
ful and reliable member of the little community, but was
treated in the Record with scant courtesy, for '*01d" Bas-
sett and his son were ordered to see the fence belonging to
the Neck *^ well done." Again, in August, 1646, Old Bas-
sett was ^*desired to sett the great gunnes vppon good car-
ryadges." He died and his will was probated February 17,
1662. His property was divided between his wife and his
son Robert.,
Robert appears to have become tired of the duties and
restraints of New Haven and went to Stamford, where he
was ostensibly engaged in preparing an expedition against
the Dutch of New Netherlands. He evidently was a strong,
independent, and somewhat turbulent, character who made
seditious speeches and sought for greater liberty. He ex-
hibited a little too much of the spirit which was so com-
mendable in 1776, a hundred and twenty-three years later,
but which did not please the General Court, or the
churches, in 1653. The chief ground of Basset's complaint
280 HAMDBIf OENTBNABT.
appears to have been that : " wee hane not our vote in our
jurisdiction, as others haue." It was charged that "he
would be a reformer not only of comonwealthes but of
churches also,'' and that he luul undertaken to mise volun-
teers to go against the Dutch, but really to raise and carry
on an insurrection in the colonies. One of his associates,
Jeremiah Jagger, had also been "pleading for liberties in
votes, that all may chuse officers for publique trust, and
chuse whom they please " * * * "saying publiquely,
in the towne meeting, in discontent, and with a surly spirit,
that the court sent to the town for deputies, but they were
the churches' deputies, and who must chuse them, the free-
men ; then saith hee, wee are the bond-men, and so will
our children bee, therefore it is time for vs to looke to it."
Basset had acted in a friendly way to Tliomas Baxter, who
("by vertue of a comission from Road Island vnder the
comonwealth of England ") had fcikon a J)\\tc\v boat or ves-
sel, and perhaps had exceeded his authority in other mat-
ters, for the Marshall of Connecticut was sent to arrest
him, and having seized him, and while leading him away,
" Robert Bassett came running after them with his hand
vpon his sword, being amazed, as himself e saith, to heare
Baxster was taken, and gave them many offensive words
and cariag, aflEronting them in their way, commanding
lieutent Cooke to put vp his sword." * * * *
He was arrested and disarmed and taken to the house
where Baxter was kept, but went away without leave.*
The sum of Basset's offending is more fully set forth in
the following extracts from the Governor's communication
to the General Court.
November 22th, 1653. — " The Gouemor acquainted
the Court wth a letter he had received wch was sent,
to Robert Basset without date or name subscribed,
which is to stirr vp to stand for the State of England, as
they pretend, and to sfcind for their libberties, that they
♦Records of the Jurlfldlctlon of New Haven, 1058.
JU8T0BI0AL AND DEaORIPTIVB, 381
may all have their votes and shake of the yoake of gouermt
they have bine vnder in this jurisdiction : also wth a let-
ter from the towne of Stamford, makeing complaints of their
rates and other greiuances as they pretend ; also another
wrighting from Stamford, stirring vp to raise volunteers to
goe against the Duch, and that themselves will send forth
tenn men well furnished for the war."
% % % « « 4^ *
At a General Court held at New Haven (Moh. 22, 1663),
Robert Basset was called before the Court and interrogated
about the ^^wrightings," which it appears had been *' con-
veyed away.'' His replies were not altogether satisfactory,
*^ Beside all this, Serjant Bell, one of the Deputies for
Stamford, informed the Court that though Robert Basset
hath bine a great disturber of their peace in Stamford, at
sundrie times in severall meetings, yet vpon the 7th of
March last, the day that the deputies were to come to the
last court, there being a towne meeting called at Stamford,
ho C/Jiriiod it worns than ovor before (though hee seemed be-
fore convinced of his miscarriages and hoped he should
neuer so oJBEend againe), for when the towne was come to-
gether, Robert Basset stood vp and asked what the meet-
ing was for, Richard Law, the constable, answered, there
was a generall court to be at Newhaven and deputies were
sent for to go theither ; Robert Basset replyed, they would
obey no authority but thatwch was from the State of Eng-
land, the constable answered, this authority is the author-
ity of England : — that he denyed and said, then let vs have
England's lawes, for England doe not prohibbitt vs from
our votes and liberties, and here wee are, and wee are cut
of from all appeales to England, and wee can [have] no jus-
tice here ; further he said they were made asses of and
their backes are allmost broke and it is time for them to
looke to themselves and to throw their burden of for they
shall be made very fooles ; and he spake against the justice
of the authority of this jurisdiction ; a replye being by
some in defence thereof, hee said, is that authority just
882 HAMDBN OBNTENART.
that makes what lawes they please, executes them as they
please, calls for rates when they please, and never so mnch
as give them a reason." *****
Hee also said that they were not so much as neighbors, but
bondmen and slaves, but that being witnessed against, hee
justifyed what hee had said, saying they must be bond-men
or free-men, for their was no medium."
All this was boldly confessed by Basset in open court to
be true, except that passage "that they could have no jus-
tice here," and he was then informed "that as his course
and carriage hath bine full of pride and insolency, him-
self e a leader to disturbe the peace both of the churches and
commonwealth, nay to overthrowe all foundations laid here
for gouemment, wch by oath he stands bound to maintayne
and vphold, so he hath discouerd a false rotten spirit (as
was lately observed by some of Connecticote in their con-
verse with him, and he told of it in open court.")
* * *****
"The marshall was ordered to put him in prison, and
irons vpon him for his better securitye ; but vpon his desire
considering the coldness of the season, and the prison-
house where is no fire, that they might avoid crueltie, the
court left it to ye gouemor, magistrats and deputies of ye
generall court at Newhaven to order his imprisonmt
whether in ye prison or in ye marshall' s house as they
should see cause in refferrence to his health."
But Basset, under great pressure, finally confessed his
waywardness, and was partially forgiven. His wife was
tried for witchcraft, and his son, Samuel, was one of the
first settlers of Derby.
At the time of the division of the First Ecclesiastical
Society of New Haven in 1759, five of the name of Bassett
are enumerated as members. Of these, James, John and
Enos, remained in the First Society, and Eunice and Mary,
adhered to, and attended upon the ministry of Reverend
Mr. Samuel Bird, and were, with their fellow members,
constituted the new White Haven Society.
hlBtOEiOAL AifD 1)E80RIP17VM,
The name appears amongst the first officers of the town
of Hamden. In 1786 Hezekiah Basset was appointed one
of the surveyors of highways, and James Basset, Junr., a
grand juryman. In 1788, Theophilus and James were both
surveyors of highways, and Amos Basset one of the tything-
men. These names are found frequently afterwards in the
records as officers of the town. In 1793, James Basset,
Junr., was appointed one of the selectmen, and again in
1796, 1796 and 1798. In 1794, John Basset was chosen as
a grand, juror.
The members of the family of Bassett now living in Ham-
den do not trace their descent from Robert Basset, the early
advocate of free speech and free votes, but from another
and parallel source.
William Bassett, m. about 1649, Ives (widow
and mother of John and Joseph Ives). Children : John
and Samuel, from whom the Bassetts of the old town of
New Haven and of Hamden are descended. The name of
WiUiain Bassett appears in a list of the Freemen of New
Haven, October, 16G9.
Samuel Bassett.— Will probated May 9, 1716. Amt.
of inventory, £1,245, Is., 6d.
John Bassett, brother of Samuel, d. Feb. 8, 1713—14.
He took part in the great swamp fight with the Narragan-
setts, December, 1676, as lieutenant and afterward captain.
The amount of his estate was about the same as his brother
Samuels'. He had a son known as Cornet John Bassett,
who was the father of Sarah Bassett, who married James
Bassett, her second cousin.
John Bassett, d. July 11, 1726, sb. 36. Removed from
New Haven and built the old house *4n the wilderness,"
which stood a short distance south of the house since built
by Hon. Jai-ed Bassett. He died in 1726, July 11, leaving
an infant son, James.
James Bassett, d. 1801, 8b. 76, m. Dec. 25, 1754, by Rev.
Joseph Noyes, Sarah Bassett, his second cousin, who d.
1823, 8B 94 years and 6 months. Children: Abigail, b.
&d4 BAMDBN OBNtBNARt,
December, 1755 ; d. 1845, 8B. 90. James, d. 1827, ». 70 ; he
m. Adah Ailing (no children). Timotliy, d. 1820, lo. 02;
Rebekah, d. 1801, se. 36 ; John, the father of James and
David (father of John E.); Sarah; d. 1856, ©. 92. Abigail
and Sarah remained at home with their mother, and after
her death lived in the old house, built by John, their grand-
father. They were long known in this town as '*Aunts
Sally and Nabby,*' and were exceedingly interesting and
quaint in their ways, and full of traditional lore of the
family and neighbors.
Timothy Bassbtt, b. about 1758, d. 1820, cb. 62; m. Eunice
Ailing. lived in a house west of the railroad where it
crosses Shepherd's brook. Children : three sons, Enos, d.
October, 1821, ». 36; Jared, d. 1855, ». 66; Alfred, d. 1865,
8B. 71, He was a presidential elector in 1836, and repre-
sented the town in the legislature at several sessions.
The two brothera, James and Timothy, left their home in
Hamden to assist in resisting the British invasion of New
Haven July, 1779, and were both wounded. The following
interesting account is given by Rev. Chauncey Goodrich,
from information obtained from Mr. George B. Bassett :
^^ Each of them had served a term of either draft or enlist-
ment in the Continental Army. Timothy had been under
General Gates and had taken part in the battles near Sara-
toga, which preceded the surrender of Burgoyne, and James
had served in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and came home
in broken health. On hearing the alarm the young men
took down their muskets from hooks which are still to be
seen on the walls of the old house, and hurried into town
with others from that quarter. They participated in the
fight at Ditch Corner and both were wounded, James being
hit by a musket ball, which broke his arm, and Timothy
being shot through the body. As the last fell, a British
soldier stepped forward, and after appropriating whatever
on his person was of value was about to inflict a fatal blow,
when one of the sons of Joshua Chandler interposed, saying
that he was well acquainted with the young man; that they
mSTORWAL AND DE80BIPTIVB.
had often been in pursuit of foxes together, and begged that,
as the existing wound seemed likely to prove fatal, no further
violence should be inflicted. James reached home on the
evening of the same day and reported that his brother had
been killed. On the next morning the father came into town
in search of Timothy and found that he been carried into a
house near where he fell, and was yet living, though in a
state of extreme exhaustion. With much difficulty he was
conveyed home in the family chair or chaise, and after con-
tinuing for nearly a year in a feeble state of health he ulti-
mately recovered, in a measure, although suffering; from
the eUEects of the wound through the rest of his life."*
The brothers, James and David, the sons of John, were
well known in Hamden fifty years ago. They were then in
the prime of manhood, and each the head of a family.
James occupied the house and farm, now the home of
James, the son ; David lived in the house and place south
of Cherry Hill, sold to Mr. Foy, and i)urchased of Mr. Foy
by Mr. Simoon IJaldwin, of Now York, and sold by his
hell's to Mr. Gormley, the present owner. The old house,
built after the prevailing Connecticut pattern a century
ago, was recently torn down.
Jarbd Bassett, b. 1789, d. March 15, 1856, m. Eliza
, d. Aug. 2, 1864, se. 68. — Children : Eunice, m. James
Mix, of New Haven; Cornelia, now living; Jared, who
occupies the old homestead built by his father in 1819, and
at that time considered the best in the town.
He was State Collector, and sworn in as constable in 1811,
and served for several years. In the record of the town
meeting for 1825 we find his name entered with the title of
^^ Esquire," and that he acted as Moderator of the meet-
ing. He was repeatedly chosen selectman of the town, and
he represented Hamden in the State Legislature in the
years 1827-28, 18131-82, and in 1836, and was a member of
the State Senate in 1833. But to the townspeople of that
*New Haven Hist. Soc. Papers, vol. ii, p. 81.
lUMDBN OBNTENART.
day, and in the country about, he was known as the
** Squire," and no one could have supported the dignity of
the office better than he. Of commanding figure and great
dignity of demeanor, combined with excellent judgment
and irreproachable character, he was most highly respected
by all.
Tlie following are copies by Mr. George F. Tuttle, of
inscriptions on tombstones in the Hamden Plain (west)
Cemetery:
Jared Bassett, d. March 15, 1865, ». 66 ; Eliza, his wife,
d. Aug. 2, 1864, 86. 68 ; James Bassett, d. Sept. 2, 1828, se.
71 ; Adah, his wife, d. June 6, 1826, 8B. 63 ; James, d. Dec.
16, 1841, 8B. 41; Elizabeth, his wife, d. Sept. 6, 1866,86.64;
Phebe, d. Feb. 6, 1828, 8B. 64, wife of John, who d. Aug. 9,
1821, 8B. 60.
UENllAM.
According to Savage, John Benham, of Dorchester, Mass.,
came probably in the ship "Mary and John," in 1630. He
was freeman in May, 1631, and removed in 1640 to New
Haven. John Davenport, in a letter to Gov. Winthrop,
April, 1660, relates how Brother Benham and his wife
escaped drowning in fording a swollen river.
John Benham' s name appears in a list of Pl«anters of Now
Haven in 1643. He seems to have given his attention to
making brick, for we read in the Records of the Colony,
"that whereas the place where John Benham now makes
bricks is within the compass of Mr. Eaton's farm, etc."
Joseph Benham, of New Haven, m. at Boston, Jan. 15,
1667, Winnifred King, and was one of the first settlers of
Wallingford, 1670. Twelve children. One of these is be-
lieved to be the ancestor of :
Joseph Benham, m. Elizabeth . Adah (daughter
of Joseph and Elizabeth), born Aug. 27, 1786.
ISAAO Benham, son of Joseph and Elizabeth, b. Aug. 2,
1791, m. March 8, 1816, d. Jan. 23, 1879, fe. 87 years 6
months. Anne, his wife,d. Aug. 2, 1876, a). 81. Chiklren:
mSTOnlGAL AND DESORTPTIVJH, 2S7
William, b. March 24, 1817; Isaac, b. July 6, and d. July
7, 1821; Betsey Ann, d. July 30, 1846, a3. 18 years 9 mos.;
Jared :
Jared Bbnham (son of Isaac), now living just east of
the old homestead on the first hill west of the Jared Bas-
sett place.
Luther L. Benham, d. April 7, 1877. His wife Eliza-
beth Heaton, d. Dec. 19, 1866, se. 52. (Tombstone H. P. cem-
etery.)
Amos Beniiam, d. Jan. 2, 1839, vd. 61. Ruth, his wife,
d. March 29, 1868, m. 83. (From tombstone H. P. cem-
etery.)
BJiAKE.
The members of the family of Blake who are, and
have been, residents of Hamden, are direct descendants
of William and Agnes Blake, who emigrated from England
to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 16i30. These ancestors
arrived in tlie ship ^'Miiry and John," Cnptain S(pieb, nnd
landed at Nantasket, and afterward settled at Mattapan,
now Dorchester. The name of AVilliam Blalce is found
upon the same ancient document, in Dorchester, upon
which the signature of the ancestor of the Dickerman
family is found.* The descendants of the Dorchester stock
are numerous. A branch of the family removed to Wor-
cester County, and Bliliu married Elizabeth Pay Whitney,
a sister of lilli Whitney, and had a family of several sons
and daughters.
After Mr. Whitney had established the manufacture of
fire-arms in this town he sent to Massachusetts for his
nephews, Philos, Eli W., and Elihu, to assist him in the
various departments of the manufacture. Each of these
members of the family have at diiferent periods resided in
the town and have been more or less identilied with it.
Elihu Blake was made Freeman of the town in 1818, and
married here, in 1825, Adeline N. Mix, daughter of Cai)t.
♦See Frontispiece of James Blake's " Anuals of Dorchester," Boston, 1846.
BAMBSN CBUfTENARY.
Jonathan Mix. Eli W. Blake resided for some years in
the village at Wliitney ville, and died in New Haven, Aug.
19, 1886. The annexed obituary notice was prepared for,
and is extracted from, the New Haven Jov/rnal and Courier:
*'Eli Whitney Blake was born January 27, 1796, at
Westboro, Worcester County, Mass. He graduated at Yale
College in 1816. He intended to enter the legal profession
and studied law in the then famous school of Judge Gould,
at Litchfield, Conn., but gave up that purpose at the re-
quest of his uncle, Eli Whitney, who desired his assistance
in erecting and organizing the gun factory works at Whit-
neyville. After the death of Mr. Whitney, in 1826, Mr.
Blake and his brother (the late colonel Philos Blake), car-
ried on the business until 1836, when they joined their
brother, John A. Blake, in forming the partnership firm
of Blake Brothers, and established at Westville a manufac-
tory of door locks and Intches of tlujir own invention. This
business was afterward extended to include other articles
of hardware, such as casters, hinges, etc., most of which
were covered by patent. In this branch of manufacture
Blake Brothers were among the pioneers in this country,
and long held the front rank. It is not too much to say,
that the ideas which they originated still characterize the
forms of American locks, latches, casters, hinges and other
articles of house furnishing hardware wherever manufac-
tured, and are the foundation of their acknowledged supe-
riority.
In the year 1852 Mr. Blake was appointed on a committee
to superintend the macadamizing of Whalley avenue, and
his attention was thus directed to the great want of a
machine for breaking stone into fragments of a nearly uni-
form size suitable for road making. The problem was a
very old one, but no successful solution had ever been
effected. Mr. Blake devoted himself to its study for nearly
five years, and in 1857, produced and patented the ^* Blake
Stone Breaker," which for originality, simplicity and effec-
tiveness, has justly been regarded by experts as almost
BtSTORlGAL Aim bESCRlPTIVS!.
unique. It has since come into general use in all parts of
the world for road making and for mining purposes ; and
has introduced a new era into both departments of indus-
try. Its value, directly and indirectly, as a labor-saving and
wealth-creating agency can hardly be over-estimated. The
oocuiTence of the civil war, however, which retarded its in-
troduction, and subsequent competition by infringers of the
patent, greatly interfered with the profits that the inventor
should have realized, and the pecuniary reward which Mr.
Blake reaped from this and his other inventions amounted
in the end to only a moderate competence.
Mr. Blake's abilities and acquirements in the field of
mathematical and physical science were of a high order,
and he contributed many valuable papers to scientific jour-
nals on various subjects. Several of the most important of
these which had been recently published in the Aiaerican
Journal of Science^ together with some additions of a late
date were collected by him in 1882 and printed together in
a small volume entitled ^* Original Solutions of Several
Problems in Aerodynamics." These papers, which were
the result of originsil research and experiment, treat of the
laws which govern the flow of elastic fluids through an ori-
fice ; the propagation of pulses in elastic media ; the mode
of expansion of elastic fluids ; and the velocity and trans-
mission of sound. The final paper and perhaps the most
elaborate of all, covering many printed pages of close sci-
entific and mathematical discussion, was written by him
when far advanced in his eighty-seventh year. The origin-
ality and value of Mr. Blake's investigations in this and
other subjects, and also his ability and general merit as a
physicist, were recognized by scientific authorities at home
and abroad, and drew from his alma mater, Yale, in 1879,
the honorary degree of L. L. D. He was one of the foun-
ders, and for several years the president, of the Connecti-
cut Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In 1821 Mr. Blake united with the Center Church in New
Haven, and for over sixty-five years waa identified with its
growth and prosperity. In 1822 he mai^ied Miss Eliza
O'Brien, of New Haven, whose self-sacrificing fidelity and
devotion in all the relations of wife and mother brought
unbroken domestic happiness to him and his household
until her death in 1876. Seven of their children survive
him. Few men have more worthily enjoyed the reverence
and affection of their families and friends, and to few have
these been rendered in larger measure. Ilis name was sy-
nonymous with integrity. His benevolence was like a foun-
tain, active, spontaneous and overflowing. The poor were al-
ways in his thoughts. He was considerate and liberal as well
as just in all business transactions. He took a deep inter-
est in public affairs, and was the outspoken supporter of
civil and social progress and virtue. The later years of his
life were spent in peaceful retirement in the midst of his
family circle attended '*by all that should accompany old
age, as honor, love, obedience and troops of friends." In
that quiet retreat his mind in its strength and serenity dif-
fused perpetual sunshine. Men of intellect and culture
sought him to enjoy the wit and wisdom of his conversa-
tion. Little children, whom he dearly loved, delighted to
throng about him ; and none could ent^r that benignant
presence without feeling how truly ^^ the hoary head is a
crown of glory, when it is found in the way of righteous-
ness."
BRADLEY.
In 1649 William Bradley, who had been a major in the
Parliamentary Army and a friend of Cromwell, went from
New Haven about eight or ten miles north and commenced
the settlement of North Haven. The name is well loiown
in the ancient records of the colony, and is common in the
records of the town of Hamden for the past century.
Alvan Bradley was selectman in the years 1788 and
1789, and frequently after. Jabez Bradley was one of the
mafOBtOAt ANt) t)E80illPTltil. 441
selectmen in 1789 ; Amasa Bradley in 1796 and 1797, and
from 1802-1805. He was also chosen Moderator at the town
meetings for several years, from 1807 onwards, as late as
1824. He was styled Captain, and, also. Esquire. At the
first meeting of freemen in 1786, Levi Bradley was admit-
ted freeman, and in 1787, Eli, Amasa, Jabez, Jr., and Dan'l
Bradley, Jr., were admitted freemen of the town of Ham-
den.
Not having been able to obtain any account of the early
history of the family, or any connected record, the follow-
ing disconnected extracts from the first volume of records
are all that can be presented :
Alvan Bradley, 2d, m. Abigail Hall, Feb. 3, 1800. Chil-
dren : Albert, 1801 ; Emeline, b. 1803 ; Edmund D., 1806.
Amos Bradley, b. , m. Olive . Children :
Amos, b. Nov. 14, 1781 ; Olive, b. May 20, 1786 ; Lois, b.
Dec. 24, 1788 ; Lenna, b. June 23, 1790 ; Sephronia, Jan.,
1793 ; Asa, March, 1796 ; Chloe, July 16, 1797, Jotham,
June, 1799.
David Bradley, a memberof the Congregational Church
at Mt. Cannel, prepared himself for Yale College and en-
tered there, staying but a few months before being called
to work as a missionary. In 1828 he was ordained as a
Baptist clergyman and presided in the north and west parts
of the town.
Harvey Bradley, d. Oct. 15, 1801, fe. 69 ; Eliza, his
wife, d. Aug. 17, 1835, jc. 40. He was a well known resi-
dent of the town forty or fifty years ago. He lived, and had
a store, a few hundred yards north of the Plains Methodist
meeting house, and just south of the former residence of
Jesse Gilbert. Philo, his son, resides on the Cheshire road
nearer New Haven.
BRISTOL.
The following notes are taken from the Town Records :
Simeon Bristol, Esq., one of the selectmen, 1786, and
town clerk from 1786 until 1801, b. May 18, 1739, m. Mary
, b. Dec. 1, 1736. Children : George Augustus, b.
81
242 BAMDBN OBNTBNART
July 27, 1762 ; Simeon, July 26, 1764 ; Mary, Oct. 15, 1767 ;
Sarah, Aug. 20, 1771 ; John, Deo. 10, 1776 ; William, June
2, 1779. Then follows the record of the birth of Gyms, a
male negro child, son of Rose, a female slave of Simeon
Bristol, Nov. 8, 1795. Town Records, Vol. I.
OHATTERTON.
Daniel Chatterton, m. Oct. 14, 1788, to Deborah Mor-
gan ; d. 1793.— Children : Adah, b. Nov. 12, 1789, d. Janu-
ary, 1790 ; Aaron, b. May 15, 1791 ; Deborah, Oct. 9, 1793 ;
m. 2d., Abigail Morgan, Aug. 24, 1794. Cliosen selectman,
1811, 1812,1813.
Captain Chatterton had a saw-mill on Shepherd's Brook
for several years.
DIOKERMAN.
The Dickerman family, prominent in the annals of Ham-
den, is descended from Massachusetts stock in the town of
Dorchester. Thomas Dickerman appears to have been one
of Mr. Mather's company, who came from England in 1636,
and died in Dorchester, Jan. 11th, 1667. His widow, Ellen,
afterwards married John Ballard, of Medfield. The name
of Thomas Dickerman appears, amongst those of other
male inhabitants of Dorchester, in 1641, appended to an
instrument conveying to the town of Dorchester all rents
and profits of Thompson's Island, for the supi)ort of a free
school. It is written in a bold, clear style. A copy of it
may be seen in the lithographed frontispiece of James
Blake's '^Annals of the Town of Dorchester." Thomas
had two sons, '*Abram" and Isaac.
Abram Dickerman, b. , d. Nov. 2, 1711 ; m. Mary
Cooper Dec. 3, 1668. Resided in New Haven. Six daugh-
ters and two sons : Sarah, Hannah, Ruth, Abigail, Abram,
Isaac, Rebecca. Mary m. Samuel Bassett, June, 1677.
Isaac DiCKERMAisr (son of Abram), b. Nov. 7, 1677, d.
September, 1768 ; m. Mary Atwat^r. Was Deacon of the
New Haven Church, "First Society," and had title of cap-
tain and esquire. — Cliildren : Isaac, Samuel, Rutli, Jona-
lUaTORWAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. 348
than, Stephen, Mary, Rebecca, Abigail. He joined the
White Haven Church April 2d, 1764, not being satisfied
with the preaching of Rev. Joseph Noyes. As a token of
affection he gave to the First Society, or Church, a pint sil-
ver cup with two handles, marked on the bottom with the
capital letters i^b to be used by the church in remem-
brance of the donor.
Samuel Diokerman (son of Isaac), b. March 4, 1716, d.
; m. 1739, to Mary Ailing. He was a large farmer
in Hamden. — Children: Isaac, Sarah, Mary, Samuel,
James, Rhoda, Chauncey, Jane, Ruth, Susannali, Lucy.
Samuel Diokeuman (2d), b. 1745, d. October, 1789 ; m.
in 1773, to Lowly Pardee.— Children : Levi, Samuel, Han-
nah, Chloe, Polly, Miles, Lowly. I assume that this is the
Samuel Dickerman who was one of the selectmen in 1786
and 1787. The death of *' Samuel Dickerman," Oct. 7,
1789, is recorded in Vol. I of Town Records, p 178.
Isaac Diokerman (eldest son of Samuel and Mary
Ailing), b. September 16, 1740, d. 1801 ; m. Sybil Sperry.
Known as Lieut. Dickerman. Resided in Hamden. — Chil-
dren : Simeon, 1760 ; Isaac, 1769 ; Amasa, 1771 ; Lyman,
1774; Manly, b. June 5, 1786; Allen, 1781; Sybil, 1783.
Presumably the Isaac Dickerman who was selectman in
1788, 1790, 1791, and 1798, 1799.
Isaac DiOKERMAisr (son of Lt. Dickerman), b. Sept. 20,
1769, d. ; m. Sarah Butler. Resided in Westville.
—Children: Lucy, 1782; Eunice, 1784; Mary, 1786; Stephen,
1788 ; Isaac, 1791 ; Elias, 1793 ; Eli, 1795 ; Rebecca, 1797 ;
Amos, 1800 ; John, 1803, d. 1803 ; Abigail, 1814 ; Silas, an
infant. Mr. Tuttle places Abigail, 1814, as the daughter
of Isaac, 3d, 1791, but her name is found as above in the
Dickerman goiioJiJogy amongst the children of Isaac, 2d.
The following is compiled from data supplied by Mr. J.
H. Dickerman, of Mt. Carmel.
Jonathan Diokerman (1), son of Deacon Isaac, b. about
1720. Was a large farmer in Hamden. — Children : Enos,
Jonathan, Hezekiah (d. 1761), Rebecca, Joel, Amos.
244 HAMDBN OBNTBNART.
Jonathan Diokerman (2), b. Jan. 18, 1747, d. 1821, ae.
76 years ; m., March, 1770, Miriam Bradley, and had six
children : Miriam, b. 1772; Jonathan, b. 1775; Eli, b. 1776;
Abigail, b. 1777; Amelia, b. 1779; Aceinath.
Jonathan Diokerman, b. 1776, d. 1831, m.
Children : sons, James, Marcus, Jonathan, Edward, Joel,
Eli, Ira R., Augustus, Philo. Daughters, Sine, Mary, Sarah,
Julia.
Jonathan Diokerman (4), b. April 16, 1801, d. Oct., 1871;
m. Angeline Todd, d. of Simeon Todd. Children: Sons,
Winslow S., m. Laura A. Wilson ; John H., m. S. Augusta
Gorham, of New Haven ; George E., settled in Walling-
ford, m.(l) Sarah Dudley,(2) Harriet Buckingham. Daugh-
ters, Caroline A., m. Charles M. Tuttle, of North Haven ;
Mary E., m. Charles Parker, M. D., Lockport, N. Y.
Hezekiaii Diokeuman, son of Jonathan (1), b. 1764, d.
1814, m. Hannah . Children : Hannah, b. April 30,
1790; Bede, b. Nov., 1791 ; Esther, b. Aug. 22, 1793; Patty,
April 6, 1797; Joel, b. 1785; Jason, b. Aug. 18, 1786;
Aflahel, b. May 3, 1788 ; Arba, b. May 29, 1795 ; Jared, b.
Oct. 2, 1798; Hezekiah, Jan. 16, 1801; Micah, b. March 12,
1804. A resident of Hamden and selectman in 1796 and
1797.
Jesse Diokebman (son of Samuel and Mary Ailing), d.
1821, m. 1776, Damaris Ives. A resident of Hamden. Se-
lectman, 1806 to 1809. A member of Baptist Church. Chil-
dren : Betsey, Elam.
Leveritt Diokerman, (vide Hamden Records, vol. i, p
232), b. Dec. 11, 1779, m. Oct. 12, 1806, to Pamela ,
b. April 19, 1786. Children : Charles, b. Oct. 19, 1807 ;
Eleazer H., b. Oct. 7, 1809; William, b. March 16, 1812;
Parmela, b. Sept. 13, 1816 ; Margaret, Jan. 26, 1818.
Amos Diokerman (son of Jonathan, son of Deacon
Isaac), b. , d. 1822, m. Dec. 26, 1786, to Chloe Bradley.
(Hamden Records, vol. I, p 176.) Children: Abigail, b.
Oct. 28, 1789 ; Chloe, b, May 10, 1794 ; Sally, b. Aug. 23,
mSTOmOAL AND DE80RIPTIVE, 245
1796 ; Ezra, Dec. 2, 1799 ; Mary Ann, March 1, 1803 ; Al-
fred, Jan. 31, 1808.
Bnos Diokerman (son of Jonathan of Hamden), b. Nov.
2, 1743, m. Oct. 22, 1767, to Lois AlUng. ChUdren: Amy,
b. March 26, 1769; Lois, Aug., 1772; Enos, Jan., 1776; Be-
noni, b. March, 1777. He was a soldier in the Revolution-
ary War, and was taken prisoner by the British, and died
in New York city.
Enos Diokekman (son of Enos), b. Jan. 15, 1776, m. 1797
to Mary Todd. Children: Enos, b. July 4, 1800; Elihu,
b. May 14, 1802 ; Lebbeus, b. Dec. 31, 1803 ; Mary Ives, b.
March 20, 1809 ; Lois Allen, b. June 12, 1816. {Recorded
Feb. 12, 1819, p 231.)
The following entries in the records also occur :
Seymour D., m. May, 1816, to Levina Scran ; Russell D.,
m. Dec. 9, 1823, to Mareva Wolcott, both of Hamden ; Mr.
Enos Dickerman to Miss * * Doolittle, Sept. 24, 1823.
Chloe, dau. of Sam'll and Lolu D., b. 16 July, 1779 ; Lo-
lu, dau. of the above, b. Nov. 8, 1781 ; Miles, son of the
above, b. Sept. 27, 1783 ; Polly, dau. of the above, b. July
17, 1785.
Cephas, son of Jesse D., b. July 26, 1793.
FORD.
Tlie Ford family was prominent in Devonshire, Eng., be-
fore and at period of the settlement of New England. They
were connected with the Drakes of Ashe, who engaged
actively in the emigration to the new colonies. Sir Henry
Ford, b. about 1620, was only son of John Ford of Bagtor,
by wife Catharine, daughter and heir of George Drake of
Sprattsbays, Esq., Lieut. Col. under his kinsman Sir John
Drake of Ashe. Sir Henry Ford was twice principal Secre-
tary of State to Charles II. in Ireland.
Timothy Ford, of Charlestown, Mass., 1637, removed to
New Haven, 1639, and d. Aug. 28th, 1684. His wifed. July
26th, 1681. Four children; the oldest, Matthew Ford, m.
246 HAMDEN OBNTBNART,
January, 1676, Mary, dau. of John Brooks. Nine chil-
dren : the eldest, Mathew Ford (2), b. October, 1675, d.
Oct. 7, 1751 ; m. . Son, Timothy :
Timothy Ford, b. Deo. 31, 1715, m. Mary Tattle. Four
children : the youngest, Moses Ford, b. Nov. 13, 1741, d.
June 11, 1822. Deacon in the church.
Stephen Ford (Captain), b. about 1749, d. Nov. 19, 1843;
m. Elizabeth — , b. 1754, d. Jan. 6, 1817.
Lyman Ford (Deacon), b. about 1789, d. Aug. 11, 1869 ;
m. Betsey , d. Sept. 25, 1803.
James Marcus Ford, son of Joel Ford, was an influen-
tial man in Hamden, and had a family of several daughters.
GILBERT.
This name is prominent in the annals of Hamden, New
Haven and New England, as well as in English history.
English families of the name date back to the year 1300.
It is prominently identifled with the earliest efforts to
found colonies in America. Sir Humphrey Gilbert, in the
year 1603, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, attempted to
found a colony in Newfoundland. He was half-brother to
Sir Walter Raleigh, and ^'one of the most accomplished
men in England." (Folsom.)
Captain Raleigh Gilbert, a nephew of Sir Humphrey Gil-
bert, was one of the leaders of the Second Colony, or Ply-
mouth Company, which sailed from Plymouth, England,
on the last day of May in 1607, and arrived in Kennebec
(Maine), early in August of the same year. He headed an
expedition to explore the neighboring country ; was Presi-
dent of the Council, and in 1008 returned to Eughind with
the colonists on account of the death of his elder brother.
Sir John Gilbert, a prominent member of the Plymouth
Company. Raleigh Gilbert was also one of the grantees in
the Great Patent of New England from King James, in the
eighteenth year of his reign.
At present we have no means of ascertaining whether
Matthew Gilbert, one of tlio Jirst colonists of Qiiinnipiac
matORlOAL AJtD DE80RtPTIim. U1
(New Haven), and the progenitor of the Gilbert families of
Hamden, was connected with this family of navigators and
explorers.
Matthew Gilbert is enumerated amongst the first princi-
pal settlers of New Haven. He wai3 one of the persons
chosen, in 1639, for the seven pillars of the Church, and
one of the first magistrates of the Colony.
In the list of the Planters with estimate of their estates, in
1643, Matthew Gilbert's name appears as having two per-
sons in his family, and an estate valued at £600.
In the paper on the Governor Gilbert lot, in New Haven,
by Dr. Cleaveland (N. H. Hist. Coll. I. 123), he writes :
" Matthew Gilbert was one of the foremost men in the set-
tlement. He is supposed to have come from London, but
of his birth, parentage or previous history nothing is now
known. From the confidence reposed in him, and the ser-
vices required of him, it may be presumed that he was in
the prime of life and the maturity of his powers when he
emigrated with this colony. He was one of the two who,
in 1639, were chosen the eai'liest deacons of the first church
in this city, which office he held until 1658, when he volun-
tarily resigned. He was one of the seven pillars selected to
bear up both Church and State. From an early period, and
for a long term of yeara, he was, in civil affairs, second only
to Governor Eaton. On his broad shoulders were laid the
burdens of magistracy ; and in those days the office was no
sinecure. He was first deputy magistrate, and after Mil-
ford and Guilford were comprehended in the jurisdiction
he was Deputy Governor ; a change of name only, not of
office. To this honorable position he was re-elected by the
Colonists.
" No name, except that of Governor Eaton, appears more
frequently in the records in connection with important
public business, and high and difficult trusts, than that of
Matthew Gilbert. It is impossible to resist the conviction
that he was a man in whose integrity, piety, strong com-
mon sense and large capacity for public affairs his fellow-
S48 HAMDBN OBNTBNARt.
citizens reposed entire confidence, and with perfect safety
— ^a confidence that was never abused and never shaken.
His property was rated at £600. Mr. Gilbert died in 1680,
and from him are descended the numerous families of Gil-
bert in this town and vicinity. The mysterious letters "M.
G," chiseled on the rude grave stone near the Center
Church which the fertile imagination of Dr. Stiles trans-
lated into William Goflfe, (supposing the M to be an in-
verted W,) and which somewhat violent theory has caused
multitudes to dilate over those rough memorials with ad-
miration for the renowned regicide, there is now little reason
to doubt were the modest epitaph of the first Deputy Gov-
ernor of New Haven Colony."
Governor Gilbert left two sons : Matthew and Samuel.
Samuel died in 1721, and was succeeded by his son Samuel.
Matthew Gilbert, son of Governor Matthew, died in
1711, leaving a son, Daniel Gilbert, who settled in that pai-t
of New Haven which is now Hamden, leaving five sons, viz:
Matthew, Solomon, Michael, Caleb and John. He died in
1763. Michael and John were killed when the British
troops invaded New Haven, July 5th, 1779. John Gilbert
was Capt. of the up-town militia. Word was sent to him
that the British had landed at West Haven and were com-
ing up on the west side of West River and would cross at
Thompson's bridge. He mounted his horse, rallied as many
of his company as possible, and met the British troops,
when five of his company were killed outright, and himself
and many others were wounded. When the British ofiicer,
Capt. Parker, ordered him to surrender, Capt. Gilbert
asked, ^^ will you spare our lives?'' '^No, you d— d rebel,"
and ordered a soldier to shoot him. Capt. Gilbert replied,
"we'll never surrender," and shot the officer, wounding
him so that he fell from his horse. Capt. Gilbert was then
pierced with bayonets and his skull broken with the butt
of a gun.
The following is a copy of the inscription on the monu-
ment in the Evergreen Cemetery, erected by the family :
HISTORIOAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. 249
"In Hiemoiyof Captain John Gilbert. A gentleman of
reputation, beloved and esteemed in life and lamented in
death, who fell in defence of his country, being slain by
the British troops when they plundered this town, July 6,
1779, in the 48th year of his age. Also, in memory of Mrs.
Lydia Gilbert, who d. Dec. 16, 1878.'^
Jesse Gilbert, son of Capt. John Gilbert, was born
June 1st, 1762, died June 6th, 1833, leaving four sons, viz :
Jesse, born Dec. 30th, 1797, died May 8th, 1861; Augustus
Owen and Griswold Ives, born (twins) June 26th, 1807. Au-
gustus O. died May 19th, 1860; Isaac D wight, bom June
26th, 1816, died Sept. 18, 1866.
Jesse Gilbert, 2d, b. 1797, m. Nov. 28, 1820, Laura Hea-
ton, and had five children : Forbes Gilbert, b. 1821;
Lydia, m. David Brooks; Street E., d. 1886; Howard D.,
Jesse Burton.
Griswold I. Gilbert, b. June 26, 1801, m. Mary Ford,
daughter of Joel Eord, and sister of James Marcus Ford.
Their children were: Cleora, Joel Ford, John, Sereno
Ives, Fred'k Augustus, Myron Griswold, Mary AmeUa,
m. Iloyt. Griswold I. Gilbert was member of the State
Senate in 1863.
Asa Gilbert, of Hamden, b. Nov. 16, 1762 ; d. June 27,
1834, SB. 82 ; m. Aug. 30, 1781, Mary Gibbs, of Milford,
Conn., b. Sept. 30, 1767; d. Sept. 6, 1840, sb. 83.
GiBBS Gilbert, Hamden, son of Asa, b. April 18, 1798 ;
d. Sept. 26, 1881. He was married to Amelia Heaton of
Hamden, Dec. 26th, 1822, by Abraham Ailing, clergyman.
{jRecordSy vol. I, p. 172.)
Moses Gilbert, was selectman in 1786.
GOODYEAR.
The monument to the Goodyear family, erected in the
cemetery at Centerville, by Mr. William B. Goodyear, now
a resident of New Haven, bears the following inscription :
North /8'^<^<?— Stephen Goodyear | a merchant of London,
came to New Haven | in 1638, was chosen magistrate |
250 HAMDSN OBNTBNABT.
Deputy Governor of the Colony in 1641 | and thereafter
till his death at | London in 1068 | He was the Ancestor of
All in America | who bear his name. | John Goodyear only
son of Stephen | was fatlier of | Nathaniel, Theophihis and
Andrew. | Andrew Goodyear was father of | Timothy and
Titus. I Titus Goodyear was father of | Andrew, John and
Miles I also of Esther and Sybil. | Andrew Goodyear was
father of | William, Titus, Miles and Andrew | also of
Eliza and Polly. William B. Goodyear.
South Side—lIoTdce Goodyear | died | Mar. 28, 1800 | (Q.
73. Sally | his wf | d. Feb. 20, 1865 | sd. 70.
JSast >S^/^6— Willis Goodyear | died | Mar. 18,1873 | sb.74.
Dr. Bacon, in his Historical Discourse, says: ''Stephen
Goodyear, who from the organization of the civil govern-
ment of New Haven till his death, stood almost uniformly
in the office of deputy governor, appears to have been one of its
merchants who followed Mr. Davenport from Tx)ndon tiO this
country, and whose commercial habits and tastes determined
the location of the colony and the plan of the town. His
wife was one of the company who were lost at sea in 1646.
(Winthrop, II, 176.) He afterwards married Mrs. Lamber-
ton, the widow of the master of that unfortunate bark.
Among other specimens of his activity and public spirit we
find him, in 1655, forward in proposing and getting up
*'the iron works at East Haven, which he thought would
be a great advantage to the town." He died in London in
the year 1658. He was obviously considered by the colon-
ists as second only to Eaton in qualifications for the service
of their commonwealth." Trum. I, 233.
The name is identiiied with this region before and since
the incorporation of the town. Asa Goodyear was one of
the Selectmen first chosen under the incorporation (page
16). Theophilus was chosen in 1787 and 1788 ; and Stephen
Goodyear in 1790. Asa Jr. was made a freeman in 1786 ;
Titus in 1787 ; Jared in 1792, and Eli in 1796.
The following relative to the family of Asa Goodyear and
of Jesse Goodyear is from infoimation supplied by Mr.
Geo. F. Tuttle, of New Haven :
EISTOEIGAL AND DESCRIPTIVE, 251
Asa Goodyear, b. May 26, 1733 ; d. Mar. 26, 1811 ; dea.
in Hainden ; m. Sept. 11, 1765, Meliitable dau. of Dea.
Samuel and Elizabeth (Todd) Sackett, b. Feb. 22, 1732 ; d.
Aug. 8, 1787 ; (2) . . . Sybil ... who d. Dec. 6,
1808, in the 64th year of her age.
1. Betsey, b. Jan. 2, 1766 ; d. by 1811 ; m. Jan. 20, 1778,
Joshua Atwater, b. May 13, 1763. He m. (2) Esther Hull,
rem. to Horner, N. Y., and d. there July 31, 1814. See
Atwater book for eight children. ^
2. Mehitable, b. Aug. 26, 1767 ; d. 21 Oct. 1777 ; m. Enos
Bassett, Mar. 14, 1776, son of Enos and Mary (Heaton)
Bassett, d. Aug. 31, 1776, in his 22d year.
3. Mary, b. Mar. 23, 1760 ; m. Stephen Munson.
4. Asa, b. Feb. 14, 1762 ; m. Rhoda . . .
Rhoda, b. Oct. 22, 1782 ; d. Nov. 10, 1802, se. 20 ; est.
set. in 1820 by Amos Goodyear and Jared Ives of Hamden.
2. Mehitable, b. Sept. 22, 1784.
3. Nancy, b. Mar. 18, 1786.
Jesse Goodykau, b. June 18, 1736 ; d. May 24, 1817, a).
82; captoin; m. June 26, 1701, Hannah Bradley, who d.
Apr. 3, 1822, ao. 82. The will of Jesse Goodyear of
Hamden names sons Jesse, Joshua, Amos, and daus.
Hannah Bassett (Amos), Mabel Ives (Jesse), and Rebecca
Gill (Thomas). Joshua had Marcus, Lois and Bede.
William B. Goodyear, now living in New Haven, was
born in Hamden in 1801 ; m. Charlotte Lorraine Frost
about 1830. We owe to Mr. Goodyear' s public spirit and
commendable veneration of the memory of his ancestors
the monument in the Centerville Cemetery bearing the in-
scriptions already given. From him we learn, also, that
Charles Goodyear, famous for the discovery of the vulcan-
ization of caoutchouc, was the son of Amasa Goodyear.
Watson A. Goodyear, son of Chauncey, son of Stephen,
(verbal com. of W. B. Goodyear of New Haven), was born
in Hamden near the south line of the town. Graduated in
the Science Department of Yale College, 1863. Was en-
gaged in mining and metallurgical work in California
RAMDEN OBNTBNABT.
shortly after, and became assistant on the Geological Sur-
vey of California. Appointed Geologist of Sain Salvador,
and spent one or two years in exploration there. At pres-
ent, Mr, Goodyear is Geologist of the California State Min-
ing Bureau. He is the author of several pax)ers on scien-
tific subjects, and translated the treatise on Assaying by
Bodeman and Kerl.
Charles Goodyear, the discoverer of the method of
vulcanizing rubber, is a descendant of one of the Hamden
or New Haven families, and has rightfully earned a world
wide fame not only as the originator of a great industry
but as a benefactor to mankind.
At the request of the editor. Professor O. P. Hubbard,
formerly the assistant of the Elder Silliman in the Tale
Chemical Laboratory, and who was occasionally consulted
by Mr. Goodyear, has furnished some interesting reminis-
cences of Mr. Qoodyoai* and his search for the sub8l4mco
that should transfonn the crude rubber gum into an avail-
able waterproof substance, resisting heat and cold.
"Mr. Goodyear prepared, I believe, a history of his art
printed on rubber sheets and bound in covers of hard rub-
ber, or Vulcanite, with a copy of the large medal received
by him at the London Universal Exhibition of 1861 in-
serted in each cover, the head of Her Majesty Victoria
being upon one side and of Prince Albert on the other.''
" My acquaintance with him began some fifty years or
more ago. He then had one absorbing idea — to transform
the crude India rubber, known to every one, but of which
little was known, and its use quite limited and its value in-
significant, into an article indestructible by severe chemical
action and applicable to a thousand useful and elegant pur-
poses, and indispensable to the race in peace or war. He
succeeded, and saw the result of his invention. He was
then without means, having failed in business in Philadel-
phia, and was sustained in his work by a brother-in-law,
Mr. Steele, a well-known resident of New Haven, until his
advances reached a large sum. Goodyear subsequently had
HIBTOmOAL AND DE80RIPTIVB. 268
the opportunity to reciprocate this favor and he faithfully
responded."
''I once visited the place where he worked — a hovel on
Sodom Hill, New Haven — fiat-roofed and internally black-
ened, with few if any fixtures, or moveables, beside a
coarse table, and on it a smooth stone slab and an iron
roller. There were a few shelves on the wall holding bot-
tles of India rubber, dissolved in spirits of turpentine.
How I regret that all this could not have been photo-
graphed, and himself with it in silence and alone in his
mysterious work, as a frontispiece to his biography ! How
little did he comprehend the meaning of his simple handi-
craft, or the wide outreaching of the labyrinthine thread
he held in his fingers.
" He began by mixing pulverulent earthy substances with
the solution of India rubber. On cold winter mornings he
brought to me, in the Yale Chemical Laboratory, his ex-
perimental preparations, in the now old-fashioned wooden
pill boxes, to be t/osted by heat, nitric acid, and caustic
potassa-^and all to be destroyed.
'^Tlie same result followed the testing of successive
groups of his mixtures, until the field of experimental in-
quiry became very limited.
** I could but admire his equanimity under all these dis-
appointments, and the courage and hope in which he pur-
sued his exhaustive experimenting till he obtained the
prize.
^* We know the results of his inquiry, and must regard
him as one of the greatest benefactors of the age.
" It was my good fortune, in 1831, to take Chancellor
Kent, at his fiftieth year of graduation, around the college
cabinet. He had been reading Bakewell's Geology — the
only treatise we had — and was filled with the subject, and
especially with the great question of fossils and geological
time. On seeing a large block, a solid mass of fossil shells,
lying in the opening of a window, he exclaimed: *Mr.
H., how old is that ? ' ' Sir, I cannot tell.' * I would give
254 HAMDBN OENTBNART.
anything I have in this world to know how old that is,' he
replied, with a powerful gesture. '* I have been conscious
of a similar feeling in reference to Mr. Goodyear, and the
eflCort has been as futile, if I could comprehend the spirit-
ual foresight that originated the conception, and the forces
that enabled him to realize it ; the interaction of his whole
intellectual and moral power, focalized in darkness and
space, and after passing almost all known pulvenilent
materials in mixture at varying disbxnces across the axial
line, with only negative results, at last, with one or two, a
luminous focus shined forth, and he could cry out in joy
— Eureka!"
The history is indebted to Mr. Prank E. Hotchkiss, of
New Haven, for copies of the inscriptions on tombstones
standing in the cemetery at Centerville, marking the rest-
ing places of members of the Goodyear families of Hamden:
Emma, daughter of Lyman and Mary, d. July 1, 1842, jn
20; Mary, wife of Dea. Lyman, d. Sept. 3, 1876, a3 70; Dea.
Lyman, d. July 21, 1873, 8B 87; Lewis, d. Oct. 17, 1840, «
62; Lusina, wife of do., d. June 10, 1858, Bd 68; Cordelia,
daughter of Samuel and Lucy, d. May 16, 1832, 8e22; Friend
S., d. April 17, 1837, in 21st yr.; Mrs. Olive, wife of Capt.
Lyman, d. Oct. 6, 1827, in 40th yr. ; Jesse, d. March 26, 1826,
ffi 60; Amos, d. May 18, 1849, fo 66; TryjAena, wife of do., .
d. April 23, 1873, a3 89; Mabel, daughter of Tim. and Ruth,
d. Oct. 12, 1791, 8B 12; a son and daughter of Lewis and Lu-
sina, Eunice and Celestia, d. Jan. 27, 1820, ae 1-8-9; Fran-
cis Lewis, d. Nov. 12, 1822, sd 1-4-4; Lusina, daughter of
above, d. Dec. 22, 1828, se 14; Sally, dau. of Jesse and Mercy,
d. May 24, 1818, a) 23; Miss Sarah, daughter of Nath., d. July
21, 1776, in 80th yr. ; Mrs. Hannah, wife of Simeon, d. May
30, 1805, Bd 37; Rhoda, dau. of Asa and Esther, d. April 10,
1802, SB 20; Mrs. Sybil, wife of Dea. Asa, d. Dec. 6, 1808, in
64th yr. ; Mrs. Mehitable, wife of Dea. Asa, d. Aug. 8, 1787, ae
66; Emily Cornelia, only daughter of Marcus and Emily, d.
April 11, 1868, dd 20; Theophilus, d. May 28, 1793, vd 62;
Andrew, d. April 26, 1781, in 79th yr. ; Sybil, daughter of
mSTORIOAL AND DB80RIPTIVE. 356
Amos and Esther, d. Oct. 23, 1774, in 30th yr.; Mrs. Esther,
wife of Andrew, d. Jan. 12, 1788, in 80th yr.; Timothy, d.
Jan. 1, 1816, ae 80; Dea. Asa, d. March 25, 1811, 8b78, ^'pru-.
dence, industry and piety"; Eunice, wife of Simeon and
daughter of Col. Jonas and Ajanie Prentice, d Aug. 15, 1810,
SB 36; Capt. Jesse Goodyear, d. May 24, 1817, ae 82; Ruth,
wife of Timothy, d. Aug. 20, 1806, » 66; Albert, b. Nov. 30,
1797, d. July 12, 1878; Marcus, d. July 12, 1869, se 63;
Emily B., his wife, d. June 17, 1881, se 73; Emily B., d.
April 11, 1868, sb 20; P. Gardner, d. at Ship Island, Sept. 9,
1863, SB 22; Edwin C, d. February 28, 1864, se 35; George
11., d. April 13, 1808, a) 33— children of Marcus and Emily.
Andrew, d. Oct. 16, 1819, » 36; Titus, d. April 13, 1798, in
63d yr.; Sarah, widow of Jesse, d. April 3, 1822, sb 82;
Joshua, d. Nov. 15, 1817, se 50; Russell, his son, d. Jan. 7,
1810, SB 2 mos. ; Jason, son of Samuel and Lucy, d. Oct. 14,
1827, SB 15; Samuel, d. Aug. 6, 1827, sb 49; Lucy, his wife,
d. Aug. 6, 1833, SB 58; Eliza, wife of Jesse P., d. Jan. 22,
1837, JO 38; Nancy, wife of do., d. April 27, 1836, SB 34;
.lesse F., d. July 10, 1866, vd 68; Julia, dau. of Lyman and
Mary, d. Feb. 6, 1841, ?b20 ^ 'piety, intelligence and kind-
ness"; Mary, wife of Dea. Stephen, d. Oct. 29, 1832, sb 85;
Dea. Stephen, d. Nov. 1, 1803, in 75th yr. ; Esther, wife of
Capt. Stephen, d. Oct. 23, 1776, in 48th yr. ; her daughter
Esther, d. Oct. 11, 1776, in 20th yr. ; John, her son, d. at
N. Y., Sept. 21, 1776, in 22d yr. ; SaUy Atwater, the daugh-
ter, d. Sept. 27, 1776, in 18th yr. ; Mrs. Lucy, daughter of
Dea. Stephen and Esther Goodyear, d. Aug. 31, 1773, in her
18th year; Mabel, daughter of Mabel, d. Aug. 20, 1773, in
her 15th year; Caroline R., daughter of Lewis and Lucina,
d. Dec. 3, 1828, sb 16; Mercy, wife of Jesse, d. Sept. 3,
1817, SB 47; Rhoda, widow of Joshua, d. Sept. 27,
1819, iQ 60; Patty, wife of Andrew, d. April 17,
1821, SB 39, also tlie son Titus d. Peb. 13, 1834, sb 23; Abi-
gail, wife of Titus, d. March 9, 1836, jb 87; Simeon, d. Dec.
26, 1815 se 51; Joel, d. Nov. 1824, se 69; Mary Ann, his wife,
d. Jan. 27, 1799, in 36th yr. ; Sarah, wife of Theophilus, d.
Dec. 1, 1775, in 43d yr.
8M EAMDEN OBNTBNART.
HBATON — BATON.
James Hbaton, b. in England in 1633 ; came to New Ha-
ven, 1649; m. Sarah Street, 1662. Nine children; the
eldest,
Nathanibl, b. 1664, m. Mary Todd, b. 1676. Seven chil-
dren ; one,
Nathaniel (2), b. 1704, m. Ist, Phebe Cooper, in 1726.
Four children : Mary, who m. Enos Bassett in 1748 ; Sarah,
who d. unmarried ; Nathaniel, b. 1732, and Joseph, b. 1736,
m. 2d, Mrs. Thankful Bassett Yale.
Nathaniel (3d), b. March 21, 1732, (in H. P. Cemetery,
tombstone of Nathaniel, gives date of d. July 12, 1803, ae. 74),
m. Sibbel Todd. Nine or ten children: Sarah, b. 1765, m.
Daniel Gilbert ; Thankful, b. 1757, m. David Talmadge, Jr. ;
Sibbill, b. 1759, m. (1st) Sacket Gilbert, (2d) Timothy An-
drews; Patience, b. 1761, m. Joseph Dorman ; Joseph, b.
1764 ; Phebe, b. 1766, d. young ; William, b. 1768, d. un-
married in 1802 ; Nathaniel, b. 1770, d. 1784; Willis, b. 1774.
Willis, b. 1774, m. , father of
Austin Eaton, a well known resident of Hamden, now
living on the Cheshire Boad a short distance north of Jared
Bassett' s place.
IVES.
Jonathan Ives. The first Ives settler of the region now
the town of Hamden was Jonathan Ives, who made a home
there when it was a wilderness about the year 1735. There
were then no roads, and the settlers traveled by marked
trees. He first located on the bank of Mill River, not far
from the present village of Ivesville. His nearest neighbor
was fully a mile distant from him. Afterwards he removed
with his family to what is known as the ^' turnpike,'^ and
lived in a house which was opposite what is known as the
* * AUen Dickerman pi ace. ' '
In 1737 he manied Thankful Cooper; they had eight chil-
dren, four of whom were sons, viz :
msToniGAL ANb DBSGRtPTtVE. m
Jereiuiali Ives, who lived at what was formerly known as
the "Cooper Place," now owned by W. W. Woodruff; he af-
terwards removed to West Springfield.
Joel Ives, who located in Branf ord.
Jonathan Ives, who remained on his father's farm, build-
ing his house where the house of Mr. L. A. Dickerman now
stands. The wife of Allen Dickerman was the daughter of
Jonathan Ives.
Allen Ives, who also settled in West Springfield. There
were also four daughters.
The ancient arm-chair exhibited at the Centennial by
Miss Julia Dickerman, originally belonged to Jonathan
Ives, the first settler.
James Ives, born in Hamden. Elam, his son, b. about
1762.
Elam Ives, b. about 1762, d. 1845, m. May 9, 1790, to
Sarah Hitchcock. Children : Parsons, b. Aug. 29, 1791 ;
Bede, Dec. 31, 1793; Jason, April 28, 1795; Sally, Jan. 8^
1798 ; Lyman, Ajuil 21, 1800 ; Elam, Jan. 7, 1802 ; Wil-
liam, Jan. 1, 1804; Mary, Nov. 28, 1805; Henry, Jan. 24,
1808 ; Julius and Julia, twins, Jan. 24, 1811 ; Lucius, May
5, 1813 ; James, Dec. 8, 1815. {Received to record^ March
30, l&i^^andrecordedby Russell Pier pont^ clerk-— p. 233.)
'* Elam Ives occupied the house now occupied by his son,
Lucius Ives, on the western bank of Mill River on the road
leading from Mount Carmel to North Haven, where he died
in 1846, over 84 years of age, in consequence of cutting his
foot while getting wood on his farm in the winter. On the
same road across the river was his birth place, where his
father, James Ives, also a farmer, early settled, and where,
in his last sickness, when his son Elam called in the early
morn to see him, lie said, ** well, Elam, the sun has got up
before me this morning, which it has not done before in
twenty years.'' This farm is now occupied by Henry Todd
(a great grand son of James Ives), who inherited it from his
ancestors."
HAMDSN OBNTSNART.
^^Elam Ives volunteered his services in the war of indei>en-
dence, at the age of sixteen or seventeen, to defend the coast
at New Haven. During the war of 1812, when commerce
by water was blockaded, he established a freight line be-
tween Boston and New York, conducted by his two oldest
sons, Parsons and Jason, about twenty and fifteen years old
respectively. The former died in 1850, aged 60, the latter
in 1880, at the age of 84. The freight line consisted of two
wagons drawn by two yokes of oxen and a horse each."
** Diminutive as this line may now appear, it then pos-
sessed the dignity, in company with other similar ones, of
being the only means of transportation and traffic between
the two great cities. And the thousands of dollars' worth
of silks and other goods entrusted to those boys, and
which they often carried overland through Worcester, Prov-
idence and New Haven, evinced characters not much depre-
ciated from their gmndparonts who hoi pod settle our coun-
try ; or their father, who fought for its independence and
was now fighting for its rights."
Elam Ives, (2) b. Jan. 7, 1802. Mr. Ives was the pioneer
in the manufacture of carriage small hardware at Mt. Car-
mel about the year 1830. He was a thriving farmer, hon-
ored by the town with the office of Justice of the Peace and
grand juror for many years.
James Ives, b. Dec. 8, 1816, m. Lucy Ann Candee, of
Oxford, Conn., Nov. 28, 1838, who was born there July 14,
1818. — Children: C^^therine Candee, Lucy Wheeler, Mary
Augusta, Sarah Hitchcock, Helen Melissa.
Mr. Ives has resided in the upper part of the town, near
Mt. Carmel, and has long been actively identified with the
manufacturing interests of that section. Tliis history is
indebted to him for most of the information regarding the
manufacturers and manufacturing establishments at Mt.
Carmel, and particularly for the account, which follows,
of the connection of Mr. Henry Ives, and other members
of the Ives family, with the carriage axle business, already
partly noticed on pages 144, 145 and 140.
nWTORIOAL AND DB80JUPTIVE. 259
■ , ■■ ■ t -
By reference to that description, it will be seen that
Parsons and Jason Ives commenced the manufacture of
iron axles by machinery in the year 1833, thus making a
great advance and improvement upon the old and tedious
methods of hand work and hand power. They were the
pioneers in this imporfcint industry, and were greatly
aided by their brothers Henry and James.
Henry Ives, b. January 24, 1808; d. 1860. Son of
Elam (1).
At the date above mentioned (1833), ^^some of the
finer axles imported from abroad at very high prices
were in use, nicely finished but much too heavy
for the American taste. And here in the axle —
as in every other department of manufacturing — ^the
active Yankee found a favorable opening for his enter-
prise. The vulnerable point of the English has ever been
their inactivity in the matter of change of styles and
weights of goods to suit the prevailing demand. After
extensive travel and observation in the west, Henry Ives
made arrangements with his brothers and individually
established, about 1835, the Mount Cannel Axle works
which, with its well equipped workmen, guided by its
tasteful and observing proprietor, made essential improve-
ments and changes in the construction of axles, several of
which have been universally popular, and rule the market
and trade to this day — notably the half patent and swelled
collar.''
*'Mr. Ives created a remarkable demand for his goods,
and by his accommodating business transactions, which his
financial success soon enabled him to practice, he extended
his trade into every state in the Union."
^'This condition of things continued, with scarcely any
competition, during his life which ended in 1860, at the age
of 52, in the midst of success and honor."
" During this time the Axle works had been removed from
the power on the canal and located on an historic old mill
site on Mill River, anciently called ''Hunt's Mills," and
MO UAMDK^ OiCIfTEIfAET.
later "Kimberly's Mills," where Roaring Brook, Eaton
Brook and other tributaries meet in the mountain gap on
their way to New Haven harbor, and are brought into ser-
vice by a short dam founded on a rock with Mount Carmel
for one abutment. This forms an admirable water jyower
which, with other incidental advantages for business, will
be noticed further on. Here Frederick Ives, son of Henry
Ives, after the death of his father, with Willis E. Miller
and George E. Ives, in the name of Frederick Ives & Co.,
during the war of the rebellion continued the business witli
great success. In course of time George E. Ives retired
from the firm to form a connection with L. F. Goodyear, of
New Haven, in the name of Goodyear & Ives, continuing
in the same business."
" Frederick Ives and W. E. Miller, in the name of Ives &
Miller, continued the Mount Carmel Axle w;orks, enlarging
and improving its business by the introduction of new
machinery and goods. Tliey especially added to their rep-
utation by the invention and manufacture of Miller's pat-
ent axle, the superior value of which has commanded the
attention and patronage of the higher class of carriage
makers in New Haven, New York and elsewhere."
Frederick Ives. *^The name of Frederick Ives, the
senior partner, whose death occurred in 1883, at the age
of 51, should have a special notice here.
^^ We will only say, his early and long experience in the
axle business with his father prepared him for the situa-
tion when it came upon him. Wliile reticent in business
transactions and disposed to retirement, his superior judg-
ment and watchful care were ever manifest in the essentials
of a business where life, and limb are dependent upon the
quality of material and workmanship. And just here,
reader, consider the responsibility of the axle maker whose
every day and hour's work is to stand the wrack and
wrench of careless driving with the loads of precious life
over rough country roads or worse city streets with stone
pavements, iron rjiils and switches so laid that for axle
HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. 261
breakers human skill would fail to excel them 1 And how
difficult and burdensome the task of the carriage architect
and builder compared with the house builder I"
^* To assist him in his business, Mr. Ives was fortunate in
the selection of Willis E. Miller, a youth born on the soil,
whose father was a sturdy mechanic and pioneer carriage
spring maker, which business was early started in Mount
Cannel by the late Hon. Charles Brockett, Augustus Dick-
erman and others. Young Miller, with a true appreciation
of Mr. Ives' kindness in elevating him to his position, re-
turned to him by his faithfulness an hundred fold, which
his natui*al qualifications enabled him easily to do."
'^ The business is still continued by Mr. Miller, with Harry
Ives, son of Frederick Ives, as partner, and assisted by a
numerous succession of the Miller family, whose substan-
tial homes surround the works, and apparently guarantee
the continuance and success of the business, with its wide-
spread reputation, through future generations. Having
the lionor of being the first works for tliis manufacture in
our country lot the familiar sounds of its trip hammer
long echo through the mountain valley. Why not ? Its
motive power, susceptible of great imi)rovements, will en-
dure ''while water flows," which may be longer than
natural gas continues. Its coal and iron are landed at its
doors by railroad. Its mercjhandise is shipped to the west
or southwest n.s cheaply as fj'oui New York city, and being
only fift<30u mhiuU\s by rnilroad, or a short drive by team,
to ocean navigation at New Haven, it need not fear the
present exciting maneuvers of railroad monopolists, in view
of the large southern or foreign trade now fast opening."
E. Ives, Jk., achieved distinction as a musician, and,
in connection with W. Alpers and H. C. Timm, he was
the author of the volume of music, known as the ''Beet-
hoven Collection," published in 1845, and a second and
enlarged edition in 1855.
UAMDBN OBNTBNABr.
Philip Leek, bom in Dover, England, in 1611, was one
of the first settlers in New Haven. He came to New Haven
at the age of 27, and died there in 1676 aged 66 years. He
had two sons, Thomas and John, and two daughters.
Thomas Leek, had two sons and five daughters. His
sons were named Thomas and John.
Thomas Leek, 2d, b. March 22d, 1688, m. Mary Winston
June 1, 1706. In 1719 he settled in that imrt of New Ha-
ven Colony, which is now Hamden. He had three sons
Thomas, Timothy and Daniel, and five daughters. His son
. Thomas Leek, 3d, grandson of Tliomas, and great grand-
son of Philip, was bom Nov. 1723. He married Mary John-
ston and had one son and one daughter.
Thomas Leek, 4th, his son, grandson of Thomas, great
grandson of Thonuis and groat-great gmndson of Plnlii>,
married Rhoda Ailing and had eleven children, eight sons,
and three daughters. The youngest and only surviving
member of this family,
Dana Winston Leek, b. Jan. 14, 1810, owns, and has
always lived on the old place in the house built by his
father in 1811. This being the third house built on the
premises. In this house, the family not yet having pccu-
pied it, household goods, belonging to friends in New Haven,
were stored for safety during the fear of British invasion in
1814. The well on the south side of the house, yet in use,
and noted for the coldness and purity of its never failing
spring, was dug by Thomas 1st, in 1720.
The foregoing account was supplied by Mr. Jolm E. Leek.
The following notice of the death of a member of the
Leek family appeared in the New Haven Journal and Cour-
ier, May 26, 1887.
''Mr. James H. Leek died suddenly last Tuesday, May
17th, at his home in Mt. Carmel of pneumonia. He le<aves
a wife and two daughters, Mrs. Jesse B. Davis of Mt. Car-
mel, and a younger sister living at home with the parents.
BiaTORlOAL AND DBfSOBJtPTlVBI.
Deceased was the first one taken from a family of seven —
five sisters, Mrs. Elizabeth Hoss, Mrs. Francis R. Benham,
Mrs. Robert A. Benham of this city, Mrs. Jared A. Whit-
ing of Whitneyville and Mrs. Frederick W. Ells, of Fair
Haven, and a brother, Mr. Leverett G. Leigh, of this city.
The youngest of the seven is nearly fifty-two years of age.
lie was born and brought up in the town of Hamden, and
had resided in the same place for the last thirty years.
He was a man of the strictest integrity and one that will
long be remembered for his warm heart and genial
manners."
MATHER.
Mr. Henry Mather, a well known resident of this town,
was born in SufBeld, Conn., and came to Hamden when quite
young with his father, William Mather, who, according to
a family tradition, was a descendant of the Rev. Richard
Mather of Massachusetts.
MIX.
The Mix family in Hamden is a branch of the old Mix
family of New Haven, descendants of Thomas Meekes,
Mixx, or Mix, as the name was variously spelled.
The immediate ancestor of the present Mix family in
Hamden moved into the country from New Haven before
the incorporation of the town.
Thomas Mix, b. 1765 ; d. Sept. 1, 1810, leaving three
sons ; Benjamin, b. 1782 ; Lina, d. June 18, 1823 ; Stephen,
d. June 28, 1823.
Benjamin Mix, b. in Hamden, Aug. 10, 1782 ; m. Betsy
Potter, Apr. 12, 1810 ; d. Aug. 30, 1862. He lived about
half a mile northwest of Judge Bassett's house, on the
Cheshire road, and a quarter of a mile or less north of Mr.
Isaac Benham' s place. Children: Rebecca Elizabeth,
Ethiel Potter, d. in Wisconsin; Grace, Eliza, Benjamin,
Henry, James Perry, Norris Bennett, Prances Betsy, m.
Wm. Potter ; Dwight Walter.
M4 OAltDm OENTiNAnT.
NoRBis Bennett Mix, b. in Hamden, Feb. 31, 1826 ; m.
Maria N. Hendriclt, of New Haven, Sept. 13, 1849. Repre-
sented the town in the Legislature in the years 1878 and
1879. Served six years as First Selectman, and as Town
Agent. Mr. Mix was active while Selectman in securing
the removal of the track of the New Haven and Northamp-
ton Railroad from the side of the old Cheshire road and
the turnpike to the new route east of the highway. Al-
though the town had voted to contribute $14,000 to the
company towards tlie cost of the removal, the plan was op-
posed and Mr. Mix was enjoined and placed under a bond
of $20,000 not to make any contract with the company or
to pay over the money. He secured the action of the
Legislature in fervor of the change, and a decision also of
the court, and finally paid over the money and secured the
change in the position of the railroad.
JoNATitAN Mix, b. in Now Haven Apl. 19, 1753 ; m. Aug.
6, 1771, Anna Sears, sister of Capt. Joshua Sears of revo-
lutionary fame. 2d. Elizabeth Mary, dau. of Capt. Solo-
mon Phipps from Maine, but then a resident of New
Haven. Mrs. Elizabeth Mix inherited the farm and old
homestead at Cherry Hill, on the summit of the ridge on
the cross road leading west from the Cheshire road, oppor
site the house built by Judge Jared Bassett, over to the
West Rock range, and resided there for many years.
Mr. Mix was a member of the military company known
as the New Haven Cadets, and was one of those of the com-
pany who marched from New Haven to Lexington in 1775.
He was in active service throughout the War of the Revo-
lution ; was one of the company of heroes from New Haven
who rode from New Haven to New York and destroyed
Rivington's press. He was, also, with the first naval expe-
dition to the Bahamas, and assisted in the capture of New
Providence. He sailed as Captain of Marines, and was cap-
tured and imprisoned in the Jersey Prison Ship. At the
close of the war he invented the thorough-brace and elliptic
carriage springs now in universal use, and may thus be
MrsTontOAL AND DJSSORlPTlVJBi, 265
regarded as tlie father of the carriage-spring industry.
Copies of the specifications of these patents are given on
pages 165, 156 of this volume. He was also the inventor of
an improved cartridge box for troops, and of a method of
conveying away the smoke from the fuse of guns on ship-
board. In this effort he had the co-operation of Robert
Fulton, and the fixture was added to some of the guns of
Fulton's steam frigate.*
Captain Mix had several sons and daughters by his first
wife ; three of the sons were in the U. S. Navy. His only
daughter, by his second marriage with Mary Elizabeth
Phipps, Adeline N. Mix, m. Elihu Blake.
Pardee.
The Pardees are said to be of Welsh descent.
TnoMAS Pardee is supposed to have come from Wales
and settled near the present residence of R. H. Cooper.
He was a Whig of the llovolufclon. Of his family but
little is known. His son Joseph married Betsey Gill of
North Haven, who was the sister of the late John Gill,
the grandfather of Gen. E. D. S. Goodyear.
Joseph and Betsey Pardee had two children, Esther
and John; Esther Pardee married Elizur Cadwell of
Durham ; they had seven children ; Louisa, Laura, Mary
J., Grace, who died in infancy, Sarah, Horace and Charles.
John Pardee had five children: Jane, George F., Jen-
net, John, who died at the age of five, and John H.
Louisa Cadwell m. Henry H. Wooding ; Laura m. Charles
Cooper ; Mary J. m. Walter S. Thompson ; Horace P. m.
Jane Pease of Mass. ; Charles m. Sarah C. Hinman ; Jane
Pardee m. George Hinman ; George F. m. Louisa Cook of
Cheshire ; Jennet m. Roswell L. Nichols ; John H. m.
Martha ....
*Vide, Memoir of Capt. Jonathan Mix. New Haven, 1886, p. 90.
84
d66 BAMJ)m O^NTBNABr,
PlERPONT.
This name, evidently of Norman oi4gin, is traced back to
Robert de Pierrepont, or Robert of the Stone-bridge, who
accompanied the Conqueror to England. In the seven-
teenth generation from this Norman ancestor, Robert was
created Earl of Kingston in 1628. The earl had a younger
brother, William, who, it is stated, was the father of
James, who came to America with two sons, John and
Robert.*
John Pieupont settled in Roxbury, Mass., and m.
Thankful Stow. Ten children. James, the sixth son, b. 1660:
James Pierpont, b. Jan. 4th, 1660 or 1669. Graduated
at Harvard College 1681. Ordained Pastor of the First
Church in New Haven July 2, 1685. The memorial tablet
on the wall of the Center Church in New Haven bears the
following inscriptions: ^'His gmcious gifts and fervent
piety, persuasive, elegant and winning mannoj'S were de-
voutly spent in the service of his Lord and Master," and
"He was one of the founders of Yale College."
He m. Oct. 27, 1691^ Abigail, daughter of Rev. John
Davenport ; (2d) 1694, Sarah, dau. of Rev. Jos. Haynes.
Nine children by second marriage ; the fifth :
Joseph Pierpont, b. Oct. 1, 1704; d. Aug. 6, 1752; m.
Hannah, 9th child of Rev. Noadiah Russell, b. Feb. 23,
1707, d. June 6th, 1791. Ten children : The second :
Joseph Pierpont (2d), b. Sept. 13, 1730; d. Feb. 8,
1824. Grad. Y. C. 1751 ; m. Feb., 1766, Lydia Bassett ; (2)
Anna Blakeslee, of Plymouth, Conn., Oct. 26, 1791. Town
clerk of North Haven. Tlie third son :
Russell Pierpont, b. May 17, 1763; d. Dec. 12, 1844;
m. Dec. 8, 1790, to Sarah Miles Tuttle (Hamden Records,
page 176.) He was chosen Town Clerk of Hamden in 1801
to succeed Simeon Bristol, and held the office until 1842.
He was chosen one of the Selectmen of the town in 1806,
1807 and 1808. He I'epresent^^d the town in the liogishi-
ture in the years 1810-11, 1818-19.
♦For these and succeeding data the Editor is largely indebted to the TutUe
Yolume, by Qeorge F. Tuttle.
J1I8T0RIGAL AND DEaORIPTIVE. 267
rUTNAM.
The Reverend Austin Putnam, for nearly half a century
the pastor of the Hamden East Plain Society, exerted by
reason of his position and unremitting, faithful labor in his
ministry, and his notable Christian character and example,
a great influence upon the religious development of the
community. He was present at the Centennial celebration
and made the opening prayer, and heartily enjoyed and
commended the exercises of the day. He died in the fol-
lowing September. The following account of the funeral
services appeared in the Daily Palladium^ September
30th, 1886:
Services over the remains of Rev. Austin Putnam, pastor
of the Whitneyville Church since 1838, were held at the
church yesterday afternoon. About 600 people were pres-
ent, including Sunday-school children, who sat in a body.
The church was heavily draped, and a few flowers were
placed over the casket, which was covered with black broad-
cloth, and upon which were two bouquets of roses and a
sheaf of wheat. The bearers were deacons and ex-deacons
of the church— Dr. Treadwell, J. M. Payne, J. G. Baldwin,
H. W. Munson, H. Hummiston and E. Dickerman. The
clergymen oflS^ciating were Rev. L. H. Higgins of the Mt.
Carmel Church, who read the scripture and offered the
opening prayer ; Rev. S. P. Marvin of Woodbridge, who
read the hymns ; Rev. Dr. J. L. Willard of Westville, who
preached the sermon, and Rev. W. T. Reynolds of North
Haven, who made the closing prayer. At the grave, prayer
was offered by Professor George E. Day. Other clergymen
present were Rev. E. Blakeslee, Rev. Burdett Hart, Rev.
Vu E. Hall, Rev. E. Cunningham of Fair Haven, Rev. J. E.
Twitchell, President Timothy Dwight, Professor W. M.
Barbour, Rev. T. S. Samson, Rev. Dr. Todd, Rev. S. H.
Bray, Rev. W. J. Mutch, Rev. Mr. Leonard, Rev. Mr.
Denton, Rev. E. E. Atwater, Rev. Mr. Bushnell, Rev. D. J.
Ogden, Rev. S. W. Barnum, Rev. W. H. Butrick, and
HAMDBN OBNTBNABT.
Rev. C. W. Park of Birmingham. Intennent was in the
Bassett lot in the cemetery near the church. With the ex-
ception of one year, when he was abroad, Mr. Putnam was
absent from his church only one communion Sunday dur-
ing his long pastorate.
BXTRAOTS FBOM THE FUNERAL SERMON BY REV. J. L.
WILLARD.
It is now a little more than five years since the late pastor
of this church in Wliitneyville said to uie one day, **In
case I die first, it is my wish that you speak such words at
my burial as you m'ay judge best." Two years ago that
wish was repeated, and was made for the third and last
time on the morning that he died. Hence, no one will need
to ask why another than myself was not chosen to this part
of the service.
% % % % % * %
Austin Putnam. Tlie son of Samuel and Susan Gibson
Putnam, was bom in Croydon, N. H., March 6, 1809. He
was admitted to the bar of the supreme court of the state
of New York, at Utica, in July, 1831. He was licensed to
preach by the Addison County association, at Bridgeport,
Vt., February 3, 1833. He was married to Miss Caroline
W. Northrop, only daughter of General Joseph A. Nor-
throp, of Lowville, N. Y., September 30, 1833. He was or-
dained to the ministry by the Watertown Presbytery at
Lowville, N. Y., March 6, 1834. He was installed as pas-
tor of the church in Whitney ville. Conn., by the New Ha-
ven West consociation, October 31, 1838. He received from
Yale college the honorary degree of A. M. in 1840. He
traveled in Europe in 1844 and 1846. I think of him as he
was when, at the age of twenty-nine years, he was installed
as pastor of this church of Christ. The men and women of
that generation esteemed him highly for his work's sake,
and with good reason, for he ''studied to show himself ap-
proved unto God, a workman that noodoth not to be
shamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. ' ' He believed
EISTOBIOAL AND DBSORIPTIVB.
in his heart that God would own and bless his every
labor of love, and as he believed, so has it been unto
him. Fifty times save two, have the storms of as many i
winters beat about these hills; fifty times save two, have
the trees put forth their tender buds and leaves; fifty times
save two, have the waters slept and rippled in the summer
sunshine; fifty times save two, have the yellow October
days come with flowers and fruit, and golden harvest. And
all through these changing seasons this servant of the Most
High God has kept faithfully to his work, showing unto
the people the way of salvation.
Would I describe a preacher such as Paul, were he on
earth, would hear, approve and own, Paul should himself
direct me. I would trace his master strokes and draw from
his design. I would express him, simple, grave, sincere,
in doctrine incorrupt, in language plain, and plain in man-
ner. Much impressed himself, and conscious of his awful
charge, and anxious mainly that the flock he feeds may
feel it too; affectionate in look, and tender in address, as
well becomes a messenger of grace to guilty man.
Behold the picture. Is it like ? And if so, like whom ?
God gave to your fathers and mothers a good minister of
Jesus Christ, and whom they honored, the children have
honored: whom they loved, you have loved; whom they
trusted, you have trusted; and as he did them good and
not evil, so he has done you good. He knew that the
church here could not thrive, and grow, and prosper, and
that those who might dwell here could not be "that happy
people, whose God is the Lord," unless there were many
to say, how dear to us are thy courts, Oh Jehovah 1"
Hence, he resolved to preach the word, to be instant '*in
season and out of season," to reprove, rebuke, exhort with
all long suffering and doctrine.
* * * ¥f * * ^
His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him,
that nature might stop and say to all the world, a Chris-
tian man I The strong elements in his Christian character
270 HAMDBN 0BNTBNAR7.
were these. He was a man of prayer. One who loved
him, and gave himself for him, had said by the month of
His apostle, *^ Pray without ceasing." Onr departed friend
read that injunction and sweetly obeyed. I have never
known one who gavd better proof that he did for years
maintain unbroken soul communion with God. Like a
bird singing out the spirit of the song that is in it ; like a
flower unfolding brightness and beauty in the warm sun-
shine, pushed by a quickening force in root and stem ; so,
by a law no more forced and no more unnatural, there ap-
peared to those who knew our brother best heart evolutions
warm with the love of Christ. These took to themselves
words that, many a time, '' dropped like rain and distilled
as the dew." Words that had in them power to comfort
and cheer and soothe. His was a life of prayer in its best
and highest meaning. When Moses had been talking with
God the skin of his face shone, but h6 knew it not ; no
more did our brother .realize the light and blessedness re-
flected from his own soul life. Others saw the glory and
the beauty, and were constrained to say, *'that man has
bec-Q talking with the infinite." He read his Bible with
faithfulness and care. He believed till his dying day that
^*all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profit-
able for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect,"
that is, well grounded in all essential truth, and thoroughly
furnished unto all good works. His sermons were carefully
prepared and thoroughly biblical. May it not be that his
success as a preacher depended largely upon this latter
fact? When I say that he read his Bible faithfully and
with care, I do not forget that he had in his own mind an
objective and subjective purpose. Subjective, that he him-
seU might become' strong in the Lord and in the power of
his might. Objective, that he might help others to attain
to the same spiritual growth. Such Bible reading is good.
Hence, his remarks were clear and didactic, going down to
the roots of things. He reali25ed, I think, as but few do on
ai8to&iOAl aJ^d djssohiPtivH. ati
earth, the intensity and power of a strong personal nnion
and friendship with the Lord Jesus. We may say of him
as one said of Thomas Arnold : " Of Jesus he ever thought;
the outwelling of tender love toward Him shed over the
strong framework of his character that beautiful and gen-
tle light which rests on the soul of him who has ever one
bosom friend."
Christ to him was real. He looked into His eyes ; he
took hold of His hand ; he walked by His side ; he joyed
in His presence. And who of us could put more of the
apostle's spirit into the words, *' God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world," than
our friend departed could have done while ministering to
this people ? If any one, where does he live and by what
name is he known ? Ah friends ! He was a man take him
for all in all whose like we do not often look upon. And
yet his modesty was such, his work so quiet and unpre-
tending, that men of more shallow attainments and far less
mental power, described what are called *' Wider spheres
of influence." As one said of the late Professor Hadley,
" People had to find out what he was. He had no mind to
make it known." But by the people of his charge his
name and earnest words cannot be forgotten. Many will
call to mind how he urged the flock of God to be ready to
every good work. How he beseeched the unbelieving, in
Christ's stead, to be reconciled to God. Most tenderly did
he love their souls, and often will they hear a voice coming
up as it were from the very grave where his body is sleep-
ing in the dust, saying " Remember the words that I spake
unto you, being yet present with you." His heart's desire
and prayer to God was that they might be saved. And as
he grew in years he grew in knowledge and adorned more
and more the doctrine of God our Saviour. Whitneyville
owes to him a debt that it can never pay. • The work that
he has done here cannot be valued with silver and gold.
He has laid deep, and strong, and broad foundations that
Md OAMMN OENTiNARt.
fire cannot burn, nor storm destroy, nor floods wash away.
He lives in yonr private devotions, about your family
altars, in your meetings for prayer and praise, in all your
appliances for public worship ; and through the long and
loving service he has neither sought nor asked for a wider
sphere of usefulness. Had he not found enough here to en-
gage his heart and hands? Had he not been a burden
bearer? Had he not sought to cheer the desponding, to
comfort the sorrowing, to strengthen the weak, to raise up
the bowed down, to speak a word in season to him that was
weary ? And when did he ever turn his back on one be-
cause he was poor, or ignorant, or black, or down-trodden,
or despised ? Moreover, did he not come to your homes in
dark hours, in sad hours, in hours when dear ones lay sick
unto death? In short, did he not love his people, and
labor for them with untiring assiduity ? Were they not in
his thoughts, and in liis prayers, and in liis studies ? Could
he not say, "For the space of forty and eight years I
ceased not to warn every one?" Nor did he covet any
man's silver, or gold, or apparel, and
** I venerate the man whose heart is warm,
Whose hands are pure, whose doctrines and whose life.
Coincident exhibit lucid proof
That he is honest in the sacred cause."
He did run well, and you his people have been blessed
and the beauty of the Lord our God has been upon you.
And you are ready to say of your late under shepherd,
** We owe much to him ; he has been so faithful." It may
be said of him, as it was of one who died before he saw the
light: *^He brought much that did not pass away with
him, and of which we may confidently affirm, that it shall
not pass away." And here, if I may change the name of
both place and man, and quote in part another's words, I
cannot do better than t^ say, Whitneyville is a better vil-
lage beyond your life to guess, than it would have been
but for the life of him who for nearly two generations
HI8T0BI0AL AND DEaOBIPTIVE, 378
ministered to the people in lioly things. Still, he belongs
to you, and he rests here after the long day's work. I bid
you treasure his dust, and lay his beautiful and simple life
to your heart.
*How he has shared in your joys and sorrows; been with
you in adversity and prosperity, in sunshine and in storm!
In these homes he has visited the sick, comforted the dying;
and out of a loving heart, and with loving lips, has told
again and again the story of Jesus. You will never find
one to love that story better; or to tell it more sweetly.
And never will there come to you another having in his
nature more of the simplicity of Christ. In his strong af-
fection for Whitneyville, it may be said of him, in words
once applied to another, **It is the one place on all the
earth he loved most dearly, and is blended most intimately
with his life as it will be through the long years to come,
with his memory." And I may add that the dwellers on
this plain, and by the waters of this quiet lake, whose
hearts beat and pulse to-day with a larger hope because he
lived, will, till their dying hour, look back upon him with
love and honor. Here, shall be told again and again, the
story of his life work. How the New Hampshire boy, with
a warm heart, and a bright, keen intellect, asked for no
higher honor than to be the well-loved pastor of the church
at Whitneyville. He read how the great world was moving
and stirring all about him; how this one and that one, as
judged by worldly tests, was climbing higher up than he
himself had climbed, but his soul within him was sweet,
and calm, and strong. He was content with his lot. And
while many a church was changing ministers as often as the
seasons change, always looking for and never finding the
coming great man, and so was being dwindled, and
dwarfed, and divided; you were moving quietly along,
growing, thriving, and prospering under the preaching,
praying and working of one, who * ^grappled you to his
soul as with hooks of steel." And if to have lived and
85
d74 HAMDBN OBNTBNABT.
died in Whitneyville was not a world glory to Mm, it was a
heaven glory to yon. For the space of forty-eight years no
chnrch had a better man in its pulpit. Few had one more
able.
It was my sad privilege to talk with him and pray with
him about an hour before God took him to his heavenly
home. His mind was clear, his soul calm, his heart gently
resting in the Lord. There was no rapture, but there was
a better thing than that— a deep and abiding trust. He
hoped in God. As he expressed it, "In the inlinite mercy
of God," and "God be merciful to me a sinner," was the
text from which he had prepared a sermon to have been
preached, as he had prepared, on the morning that he died.
The hymns, too, had been selected, and given to the choris-
ter, one of which has for the last stanza these words,
Wlien Uie storms of trial lower,
Whon I feol tomptatlons power,
In the last and darkest hour,
Jesus, Sarlor, be Thou nigh I
And, Jesus Savior was nigh. To use the words of Frederick
Robertson, "He had come to the battlefield, the field to
to which he had been looking forward all his life, and the
enemy was not to be found. There was no foe to fight
with. ' ' And then, and there I felt the force of those woi'ds,
"Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed
on thee, because he trusted in thee." As I turned away
after holding his hand in mine, he said "Good-bye, God
bless you.'' Many a time will the heart cry,
for the touch of a vanished hand?
And the sound of a voice that is still.
In his former home is one who shared in all his joys, and
was touched with every sorrow that came to him, as though
coming to her. She will never cease to thank God that he
gave her such a companion. The heart of her husband did
safely trust in her, and she did him good, and not evil, all
the days of his life. "She looked well to the ways of her
mBTORIOAL AND DE80JUPTIVE, 276
household, and did not eat the bread of idleness.'' A faith-
ful wife and mother whose price is far above rubies. God
grant that a sweet and tender light may fall upon her path,
till she goes to dwell with him whom she loved and honored
here on earth. And the children; they will never cease to
thank God that he gave them such a father; one who train-
ed them in the ways of virtue and true manliness, and
taught them to look upon life with sunny eyes and strong
hearts.
To the widow and children this husband and father has
bequeathed an inheritance more precious than silver or gold
— a good name; a name fragrant with blessed memories in
the hearts and homes of the people; and when under the
pressure of a great sorrow, what voice more comforting
than that of him who said, '^Come unto me, all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." A
father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God
in his holy habitation. And he will not leave you comfort-
less. He will come to you; and in him you may find strong
consolation. "A present help in trouble." An exceeding
great reward. To have been the wife of such a man: to have
shared in his joys, and sympathized in his sorrows for fifty-
three long years, and to be the children of one **so nobly
good" — one who by precept and example taught you to
walk with God, is, I trust, a fact which you will be thank-
ful for in this life, and in the life to come.
To this church and people, it is pleasant to say that you
were kind to him, in the afternoon of his life. And so it
was that God blessed him with a long Indian summer, in
which his heart mellowed with love, and gratitude toward
you all. He said to me, not many weeks agq, **The last ten
years of my ministry have been the happiest of my life.
My people have been so kindly, and so good." The dear
old man! How he loved you, and how you loved himi And
well you might, for he was worthy. " Have you any spe-
cial message to leave for your people?" I put that question
to him on Sunday morning, an hour perhaps before he died.
876 HAMDEN OBNTBNART.
**None but my life, and work among them.'* That was the
substance of his reply. And in it there was no grain of
boasting, any more than in the words of Paul, when he said,
*^I have fought a good fight." Your hearts are full to-day.
Tears are in your eyes. You sorrow that you are to see his
face on earth no more. Well, if you loved him and would
hold his name in perpetual freshness and in abiding honor,
be what he was, good and true and Christly in all the rela-
tions of life.
SMITH.
John G. Smith, of Wliitneyville, was major of state mili-
tia, and several times elected one of the selectmen of the
town from 1844 to 1866.
General S. R. Smith, a grandson of Jos. A. Smith and
son of John G. Smitli, a member of the staff of Governor
Harrison, was also born in Wliitneyville.
TODD.
Asa Todd who went to the defense of New Haven at the
time of the British invasion and was killed in the upper
part of the town, in the street now known as Broadway, was
descended from:
Chkistopiier Todd, b. in Pontefract, England; bap-
tized 1617, was in New Haven, and engaged in the year
1639, as a farmer and miller at the end of Mill Rock, on
Mill River. He m. Grace Middlebrook, and d. April, 1686.
Michael Todd, 5th son of Christopher, b. June, 1653,
m. Elizabeth Brown.
Gehshom Todd, 3d son of Michael, b. Oct., 1695, d. Nov.
1748, m. Hannah , d. 1773.
Asa Todd, b. March 24, 1723, m. April 19, 1748, Mary
(Tuttle) AUing; killed in action by the British in New
Haven, July 5, 1779.
Elizabeth Todd, dau. of Asa Todd, b. Apr. 13, 1749 ;
m. March, 1772, Captain Solomon Phipps from Casco Bay,
Maine, a descendant of a brother of Sir William Phipps,
Governor of Massachusetts.
EISTOBIOAL AND DB8CB1PTIVE. 8T7
At the time of the British invasion Mrs. Phipps fled to
the old homestead in Hamden, which she inherited from
her Tuttle ancestry, now known as Cherry Hill, taking
with her, in a chaise, her young daughter,
Elizabeth Mary Phipps, dau. of Capt. Solomon and
Elizabeth his wife, b. Nov. 27, 1776, m. Aug. 5, 1800, Capt.
Jonathan Mix. Mrs. Mix was long a resident at the old
homestead, at Cherry Hill; a substantial, old fashioned,
Connecticut home, with low ceilings, a very heavy oak
frame, paneled walls, and an enormous chimney built of
stone. The kitchen fire-place was nearly ten feet long, and
four feet deep, with a large dome-shaped oven at one end.
The only vestige of this old home remaining is the stone-
lined well which was in front of the house. The building
becoming dilapidated was torn down about the year 1846.
Mrs. Mix took an active interest in the religious affairs of
the town and was instrumental in the establishment of the
Sabbath school of the East Plain society. Her only child:
Nanoy ADEFiiNE Mix, b. A])ril 18, 1805, m. Elihu
Blake, a nephew of Eli Whitney, from Westborough, Wor-
cester county, Massachusetts. Mr. Blake built the house
now standing, and named the place Cherry Hill, in the year
1836.
TUTTLE.
The generations of the Tuttle family in America have
been wonderfully recorded in the volume by George Fred-
erick Tuttle of New Haven, entitled **The Descendants of
William and Elizabeth Tuttle, who came from Old to New
England in 1635, and settled in New Haven in 1639.'' They
had twelve children, the fourth :
Jonathan Tuttle, was baptized in Charlestown, Massa-
chusetts, in 1637. He m. Rebecca Bell, dau. of Lieut.
Francis Bell of Stamford, and had six children; the young-
est, Nathaniel, bom Feb. 25, 1676. He was the founder of
a settlement near the Quinnipiac River in the southern part
of the present town of North Haven, and built the bridge
long known as Tuttle' s bridge.
878 HAMDEN 0JBNTBNAB7.
Nathaniel Tuttlb, b. 1676; d. 1728; m. Esther Blakes-
lee. They had seven children, the fonrth,
Nathaniel Tuttle, b. May 29, 1714; d. ; m. Jan.,
1787, Mary Todd, and (2) Abigail Ingham. Tlieir eight
children were bom within the limits of the present town of
Hamden. The eighth, son of Abigail,
Jesse Tuttle, b. Jan. 26, 1769; d. in Hamden 1849, sd
90 years; m, Lucy, dan. of Samuel and Mary Ailing Dicker-
man, of Hamden. He m. (2) Eunice Gilbert. Three children
by first wife : Ambrose, Leverett and Jesse. His name ap-
pears for the first time amongst the town officers in 1794,
being then chosen tythingman for the ensuing year. In
1798 he was chosen grand juror; in 1803 one of the survey-
ors of highways, and in 1806, 1806, 1807 and 1808 one of the
selectmen.
Ambrose Tuttle, b. Sept. 17, 1784; d. 1872, le 88; m.
Mary Allen. He served the town in many official capacities.
In 1805 he was chosen one of the surveyors of highways.
In 1806 he was admitted as freeman and chosen as con-
stable; in 1807 town collector; in 1811 one of the listers,
and in 1814 one of the selectmen. He also received amongst
the townspeople the title of *' Esquire."
Levebet Tuttle (brother of Ambrose), second son of
Jesse, b. 1786; d. 1877, sb 91, then the oldest man in Ham-
den; m. 1809, Electa Kimberly, and had five children,
Horace, Lewis, Julia, Henry and Dennis. In 1808 he was
chosen one of the surveyors of highways, subsequently col-
lector of State taxes and selectman. He was captain of the
Hamden militia, and drafted men from Hamden in the war
of 1812. He represented the town in the Legislature in
1840.
Of his children, Horace moved to Iowa City, Iowa, and
was U. S. Marshal. He then moved to Dubuque, and was
for several years Judge of the City Court. He then re-
turned to the old home in Hamden, and died there jo 71
years. Lewis died at the old home, where the house of his
brother Henry now stands, at the age of 25 years. Julia
HiaTOmOAL AND DE80RIPTIVE, 879
m. Jesse Mansfield, and d. in Hamden so 34 years. Henry,
(see below). Dennis practiced law in New Haven a few
years and removed to Iowa City, and thence to Hudson,
Wisconsin. District Attorney there until the breaking out
of the war, when he enlisted and served in the Army of the
Potomac till the close of the war, and returned to New
Haven.
llENRr TuTTLE, b. Oct. 23, 1820. Born and bred on his
father's farm, he became much interested in raising cattle,
and. had a large dairy for twenty years or more, and while
carrying on business as a dairyman and farmer on a con-
siderable scale, he has given great attention to the law, and
is much sought for legal advice by his fellow- townsmen and
others. He has served the town officially in many ways,
ever since he was twenty- two years old. He represented
the town in the Legislature in 1858, and again in 1884. In
1871 he was elected to the State Senate, and throughout
his career has actively promoted measures for the benefit of
his constituents and the public. He was instrumental in
making the Cheshire turnpike a free road, in having the
Whitneyville horse railway laid on the west side of the
avenue, and was active in inducing the New Haven Water
Company to clean out the swamps on the borders of the
lake and to keep the lake in such a condition as to avoid
the generation of miasma.
Other members of the Tuttle family were prominent in
the official life of the town in the early part of the century
and since ; we find the names of Lyman, Levi, Asa, Amasa,
Eli, Julius and Jesse S. Tuttle, as holding various offices,
before the year 1820.
Mary Tuttle, daughter of Deacon Joshua Tuttle, of New
Haven, married Ebenezer Ailing, and 2d. Asa Todd, who
waa killed at the British invasion of New Haven. (See
Todd). A part of her life, if not the greater portion, was
spent at the old home on the high ridge extending north
and south between Cherry Hill and the West Rock range,
where the Ailing family so long resided.
280 EAMDBN OBNTBNART.
WARNBR.
The families by this name are numerous, especially in
the northwestern part of Hamden, a part of which is some-
times called ''Wamertown." Efforts to obtain any fami-
ly records or reminiscences have been unavailing.
The town was represented in the Legislature in the Ses-
sion of 1880, by Mr. Hubert E. Warner, son of Elias War-
ner, who was representative in the years 1863 and 1864.
Hejsekiah Warner was chosen one of the Selectmen in
in 1790, 1791 and 1792, and again in 1810 and 1819.
Hezekiah I. Warner, represented the town in the Legis-
lature in 1822.
Elam Warner was chosen Selectman from 1820 to 1822
inclusive, and representative in 1833.
The annexed inscriptions are from tombstones in the
Hamden Plain (west) Cemetery, copied by Mr. Geo. P.
Tuttle.
Ira Warner d. Aug. 20, 1836, sd 96; Betsey his wife d.
March 3, 1877, sb 72.
Jesse Warner d. 1818, 8e 52.
Isaac Warner d. Peb. 21, 1826, ce 51; Damaris his wife d.
next day se 49.
Amos Warner d. July 18, 1835, sb 31.
Benj. Warner d. Mar. 2, 1800 in 70th year.
Jesse Warner d. Peb. 14, 1862, sb 63.
Samuel Warner d. Oct. 8, 1876, sb 81; Abigail, his wifed.
Nov. 21, 1873, SB 74.
Mrs. Susannah, wife of Eben 2d, d. Jan. 2, 1815, 8b 78;
Jonah d. Nov. 5, 1848, ab 84.
Joel G. Warner d. April 22, 1866, sb 62; Patty his wife d.
Oct. 19, 1881, SB 83.
Reuben Warner d. Sept. 19, 1882, sb 84i or 34i.
Walter Warner d. 1859, sb 54; Eliza, his wife, d. Aug.
21, 1848, SB 33.
Abner Warner d. Jan. 24, 1861, sb 63; Mary, his wife, d.
Jan. 13, 1882, sb 81.
HIBTORIOAL AND DB80BIPTIYB. 281
Ebenezer Warner d. Oct. 19, 1865, sb 88; Hannah, his
wife, d. July 6, 1849, 8B. 81.
Levi Warner d. Jan. 17, 1877, se 79.
Ebenezer Warner d. Feb. 19, 1811, £e 78.
Elizabeth, dau. of Jonah, d. Aug. 27, 1795, ee 21.
Dorcas Warner d. Dec. 1, 1817, in 70th year.
ELI WHITNEY.
The following is a copy of the inscription on the tomb of
this remarkable man:
BLI WHITNEY
** Tho Inventor of the Cotton Gin,
Of Useful Science and Arts tlie elQcient Patron and Improver.
In the relations of life a model of excellence.
While private affection weeps at his tomb, his country
honors his memory."
Died Jan. 8th, 1825.
Bom Dec. 8tJi, 1766
Although Mr. Whitney's life is thus truthfully epitom-
ized, the history of the town of Ilamden requires an ex-
tended notice of his labors and achievements. Hamden was
the chief field of his labors. He here created new indus-
tries, and new methods, which have left their impress upon
the growth of the town, and upon the history of human in-
dustry.
Mr. Whitney was born at Westborough, Worcester
County, Massachusetts. His father, a thrifty and pros-
perous farmer, wjis descended from an English ancestor,
who early emigrated to Massachusetts, and his descendants
were among the most respectable farmers of Worcester
County. His mother, Elizabeth Fay, was also of English
ancestry. Tradition says that at the time of the early colo-
nization of Massachusetts, the ancestor of the Fay family
called together his five sons and thus addressed them:
^* America is to be a great country ; I am too old to emi-
grate to it, but if any one of you will go I will give him a
double share of my property.'' The youngest son accepted
the offer and settled near Boston.
HAMDBN OBNTBITABT
In his boyhood, Whitney assisted his father in the labor
of the farm, and daring the winter months he attended the
district school. In after life, he used to tell with pride
that from eleven years of age it was his duty to fodder and
water sixty head of cattle before he went to school in win-
ter ; that the nearest way to the school-house was across the
fields, three-quarters of a mile, and that he made his own
path through the snow.
His predilection for mechanical pursuits and invention
was shown at an early age. Ilis father was similarly in-
clined, for he had a workshop with a variety of tools, and a
turning lathe, where he could make chairs and wheels in the
winter days when the farm work was over. In this shop,
young Whitney delighted to spend his time at all seasons
rather than to work upon the farm. The privilege of using
the tools, and to be making something, was to him the
greatest pleasure. When about twelve years old ho made a
complete violin, and he finished it so well that it excited
much admiration, and dilapidated violins were sent to him
from all directions for repairs. A year or two later, during
the war of the Revolution, nails became very scarce and
dear; and the boy saw the opportunity for a profitable
manufacture. At that time all nails were forged out by
hand, one at a time, upon an anvil. Young Whitney per-
suaded his father to procure the necessary material and
tools to begin this manufacture, and he soon established
a profitable business. But he was not content to work
alone, and he projected a plan for enlarging the busi-
ness and employing others. To this end he made a journey
through the neighboring towns, visiting all the workshops
he could find, and gleaning information from every source.
He succeeded in his eflEort, and set one or more men at work.
In this effort we can see the evidence of the boy's breadth
of view, and the spirit of the large manufacturer and busi-
ness man. We can truly say, that the workshop was our
Whitney's school of technology, and that in it he gained
that intimate knowledge of the properties of materials so
important and so useful to him in after life.
HIBTORIOAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
During this period of liis life his mind had been rapidly
developing, and he began to look out from, and beyond, his
immediate surroundings.
At the age of twelve, his father had proposed to him to
prepare for and to take a collegiate education ; but at this
time the boy, not fully appreciating its value, and being
absorbed by his more agreeable mechanical occupations, did
not favor the proposition, but in the autumn of 1783 he had
so far changed his views as to consider a liberal education »
very desirable, and he resolved, though then near eighteen
years of age, to endeavor to obtain one. His father thought
him then too old to begin the preparatory studies, and to
give the required time to them, which time, with the four
years at college, would require, he thought, about six years,
so that his son would be twenty-four years old at gradua-
tion. He likewise doubted whether his son had any prefer-
ence for either of the learned professions, and he could not
be satisfied that the benefits of such a course of study would
compensat;e for the time Jind money required. His father
did not refuse to send him to college at that time, but was
in great doubt as to the expediency of such a course.
While the question was still undecided, and the way was
not quite clear, an advertisement for a schoolmaster for the
neighboring town of Grafton fell under young Whitney's
eye, and he at once resolved to offer himself for the place.
BoiTowing a horse of his fatlier the next day, he went to
Graf tx)n, was accepted by the Selectmen, and engaged to
teach the school for seven dollars a month and his board,
all that they could offer him. Eetuming, he told his father
what he had done. The old gentleman expressed great
astonishment that his son should assume to teach others,
when he so greatly wished to go to school himself. But
Whitney was not discouraged. He immediately reviewed
all his studies, and at the appointed time took charge of the
school, and gave such entire satisfaction that he was re-
engaged for the following winter. With the money thus
earned he was enabled to go to Leicester Academy during
884 HAMDBir OENTBNART.
the summer term. In this manner he taught school five
winters in succession, at Grafton, Northboro, Westboro
and Paxton, and attended school himself in the summer
term at Leitoster Academy, where he prepared himself for
college.
But at the old home there were grave doubts as to the
wisdom of his talcing so much time and money for a college
education. It was discussed at the fireside, and the neigh-
bors who admired Eli's priwtical abilities, shook their he«ads
and strengthened any doubts that had arisen in the minds
of his father and mother. One of them, helping to dissuade
his father from sending Eli to college, said : '* It is a pity
such a fine mechanical genius as his should be wasted."
But Whitney's preferences prevailed, and at the age of
twenty-three years, in 1789, he entered the Freshman class
in Yale College.
His father laid the farm under contribution, and managed
to aid him to the extent of one thousand dollars during his
college course — a large sum in those days — ^and young
Whitney was able, by industry and the exercise of his me-
chanical skill, to add a few dollars to this. His mechanical
skill was once of great service to the college, for a piece of
expensive apparatus being broken, it was not possible to
make some of the usual experiments. It was supposed
that the apparatus must be sent abroad to the maker for
the repairs, but when the difficulty was mentioned to Whit-
ney, he undertook to repair the apparatus, and he suc-
ceeded to the great satisfaction of the professors. At an-
other time, having occasion to use some tools reluctantly
lent to him by a carpenter, the carpenter was astonished at
his dexterity, and exclaimed, *' there was one good me-
chanic spoiled when you went to college."
When nearing the close of his college life, Mr. Whitney
fixed upon the law as his profession, and made his plans
accordingly. But he still was under pecuniary embarrass-
ment, and his way was not clear. At this time he received
an offer of eighty guineas a year to go to South Carolina as
HI8T0R10AL AND DE8CBIPTIVE. 285
a tutor in a gentleman's family, and he decided to accept it
and to prosecute his legal studies there at the same time.
After paying his college bills with the last remittance from
his father, he gave his own notes for his indebtedness in
New Haven, and for sufficient cash to enable him to reach
his post at the South. Amongst other essential preparatory
duties for the long journey he went to New York and was
innoculated for the small pox.
About the time of his leaving New Haven, he was intro-
duced to the widow and family of the late General Greene,
and Phineas Miller, Esq., who was traveling with them to
the North, and young Whitney sailed in the same ship
with them to Savannah. On their arrival he was invited to
go with the family to Mrs. Greene's plantation at Mulberry-
Grove, beyond Savannah. Soon after reaching there the
small pox made its appearance amongst the negroes, and
Mr, Whitney immediately innoculated more than fifty of
the slaves, and carried them all safely through their ill-
ness.
Mrs. Greene, being a brilliant and attractive woman of
extended social connections, her home became the resort of
gentlemen of intelligence and influence. In the conversa-
tion respecting the condition and prospects of the South,
there was a general lament that no method existed of sep-
arating the cotton staple from the seed of the upland green
seed variety, except the slow and tedious method of picking
by hand. To separate one pound of the fibre from the seed
was considered a day's work for one woman. This work
was usually done in the evening, after the day's labor in
the field had ended. After the supper, the slaves, men and
women and children, were collected in circles to clean the
cotton. One stood in the center with a long whip, by which
he could reach to the extreme points of the circle, to arouse
the dozing and quicken the indolent.
Whitney appreciated the need of a machine, with less
soul and more energy than such poor creatures could sup-
ply, and he originated in his mind the essential features of
286 HAMDBN OBNTBNART.
the cotton gin, destined to not only enrich all cotton grow-
ing regions, but to ameliorate the condition of both slaves
and freemen throughout the world.
Whitney communicated his conviction that he had de-
vised a practicable machine for the purpose to his friend,
Mr. Miller, and consulted with him how to procure the tools
and materials with which to construct one. But the en-
gagement to teach was in the way of an immediate devotion
to this work, and after the expiration of three weeks, de-
lightfully spent with his friends at Mulberry Grove, he set
his face towards the plantation on tlie borders of South
Carolina, where he was to spend the winter. Arriving there,
he was told that the crops had been bad, that instead of
fifty guineas he could receive only forty, but that he might
make up the defllciency by teacliing the children of neigh-
boring planters. Thus being released from his engagement he
did not hesitate t/O reject the new offer, and after spending
only one night there, he turned back to his friends in Geor-
gia and was most cordially received by*them and invited to
spend the winter and devote himself to the construction of
the machine he had devised. A room was assigned to him
in the basement of the house, and with such crude imple-
ments and materials as a Georgia plantation afforded, he
commenced his task. Mrs. Green and Mr. Miller were the
only persons ever admitted to his work-room, and the only
persons who knew upon what he was engaged. The many
hours spent in this mysterious way excited much curiosity
and comment amongst the younger members of the family.
But strong in his perception of the end shortly to be at-
tained, and cheered by the faith and confidence of his two
friends, he toiled on, and towards the end of the winter the
machine was so far completed as to leave no doubt as to its
success.
The story of the cotton gin cannot, however, be better
told than by Mr. Wliitney himself in the draft of a memo-
rial to Congress found amongst his papers, without date,
but probably written in 1807.
mSTOmOAL AND DEaORIPTIYE, 287
**To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States in Congress assembled, the me-
morial of Eli Whitney respectfully showeth : — ^"
"That your memorialist is the inventor of the machine
with which the principal part of the cotton raised in the
United States is cleaned and prepared for the market. That
being in the State of Georgia in the year 1793, he was in-
formed by the planters that the agriculture of that State
was unproductive, especially in the interior, where it pro-
duced little or nothing for exportation. That attempts had
been made to cultivate cotton, but that the prospect of suc-
cess was not flattering."
"That of the various kinds which had been tried in the
interior none of them were productive except the Green
Seed Cotton, which was so extremely difficult to clean as to
discourage all further attempts to raise it : That it was gen-
erally believed this species might be cultivated with great
advantage if any cheap and expeditious method of sepa-
rating it from its seed could be discovered, and that such a
discovery would be highly beneficial both to the public and
the inventor."
"These remarks first drew the attention of your memorial-
ist to this subject, and after considerable reflection he be-
came impressed with a belief that this desirable object might
be accomplished. At the same time he could not but enter-
tjiin doubts whether he ought to suffer any i)rospects of so
precarious a nature as that which depends upon the success
of new projects to divert his attention from a regular pro-
fession. About this time Congress passed a new Patent
Law, which your memoralist considered as a premium of-
fered to any citizen who should devote his attention to use-
ful improvements, and as a pledge from his country, that in
case he should be successful, his rights and his property
would be protected. Under these impressions your me-
morialist relinquished every object of pursuit and de-
voted his utmost exertions to reduce his invention,
which as yet was little more than a floating image of the
HAMDBN 03NTBNAB7.
mind, to practical use, and fortunately for the country he
succeeded in giving form to the conception of his imagina-
tion and to matter a new mode of existence, and the result
of this new modification of matter was everjrthing that
could be wished. After reducing his theory to practice by
effectual and successful experiments your memorialist took
out a patent."
** So alluring were the advantages developed by this in-
vention that in a short time the whole attention of the plant-
ers of the middle and upper country of the Southern States
was turned to planting green seed cotton. The means fur-
nished by this discovery of cleaning that species of cotton
were at once so cheap and expeditious and the prospects of
advantage so alluring that it suddenly became the general
crop of the country."
** Little or no regard, however, was paid to the claims of
your memorialist, and the infringements of his rights be-
came almost as extensive as the cultivation of cotton. He
was soon reduced to the disagreeable necessity of resorting
to courts of justice for the protection of his property."
* ^ After the unavoidable delays which usually attend pros-
ecutions of this kind and a laboured trial, it was discovered
that the defendants had only used — and that as the law
then stood they must both Tnake and use the machine, or
they could not be liable. The court decided that it was a
fatal though inadvertent defect in the law, and gave judg-
ment for the defendant."
*'It was not until the year 1800 that this defect in the law
was amended. Immediately after the amendment of the
law your memorialist commenced a number of suits, but so
effectual were the means of procrastination and delay re-
sorted to by the defendants that he was unable to obtain
any decision on the merits of his claim until the year 1807—
not until he had been eleven years in the law, and thirteen
years of his patent tenn had expired."
*' A compromise has been made with several of the States
to which your memorialist has assigned his right and relin-
BIBTOBIOAL AND DEBORIPTIVE.
quished all further claim ; but from that State in which he
first made and introduced his invention, and which has re-
alized greater benefits from it than any other State, he has
received nothing."
Further details regarding this invention and the litigation
attending it have already been given (pages 112-120.)
PRESIDENT DWIGHT TO MR. PINOKNEY.
The high reputation for ability and personal worth which
Mr. Whitney had gained during his college life in New
Haven is best shown by the following letter of introduction
of Mr. Whitney from President Timothy Dwight of Yale
College to Hon. Charles Colesworth Pinckney, at Charles-
ton, South Carolina :
Yale College, Oct. 27th, 1801.
Sir,— This letter wiU be handed to you by Mr. Eli Whit-
ney, formerly a Graduate of this College, the Inventor of a
Machine mucli used, as I am told, in the two Southern
States in cleaning Cotton. This machine, originally secured
to him by patent, has been plundered from him ; and his
labor and ingenuity employed in forming it, together with
his expense to a large amount, have been nearly fruitless
to himself although highly advantageous to his. fellow-
citizens.
He has been informed that the Legislature of North Caro-
lina are disposed to make him a consideration for the Ma-
chine, and is now commencing a journey to that State, from
the hopes which this information has given him. Permit
me, sir, as a friend of so worthy and ingenious a man as
Mr. Whitney, to solicit your friendly assistance to him, so
far as you may judge to be proper Jind find convenient for
the furtherance of his success in this undertaking.
To you, Sir, it will be in the stead of many ordinary
motives to know that your aid will in this case be given to
a man who is rarely, perhaps never, exceeded in ingenuity
or industry, and not often in worth of every kind. Every
87
300 HAMDBN OBNTBNABT.
respectable man in this region will rejoice to see him liber-
ally rewarded for so useful an effort, and for a life of un-
common benefit to the public.
Mr. Whitney is now employed in manufacturing muskets
for the United States. In this business he has probably
exceeded the efforts not only of his countrymen but the
whole civilized world, by a system of machinery of his own
invention, in which expedition and accuracy are united to
a degree probably without example.
I should not hav? thought it necessary to speak of him in
so strong terms had I not believed that his own modesty
would keep him from discovering his real character.
A wish to serve a worthy man will, I am sure, be my
apology to you. Sir, for this application.
With the highest consideration, I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your very obedient and most humble servant,
Timothy Dwight.
3s8tabli8hment op the armory.
The constant annoyance, and actual pecuniary loss, which
Mr. Whitney suffered in consequence of the invention of
the Cotton-Grin, and his efforts to secure his rights, caused
him to turn his thoughts in another direction.
At that period arms were greatly needed by the young
republic ; most of those used during the war of the Revo-
lution had been imported from Prance, and it became im-
portant to establisji the manufacture in the United States.
The subject was discussed in Congress, and these discussions
arrested tlie attention of Wliitney. The fabrication of
arms in quantity not only promised to be profitable, but it
seemed to be a patriotic duty to establish works in the
United States for the purpose. Patriotism in those days
was a salient virtue, and we have evidence that patriotism,
as well as a desire to engage in a profitable business, actuated
Mr. Whitney. Oliver Wolcott, the Secretary of the U. S.
Treasury at that time, appears to have been much interested
UrSTOkttJAL AM) DS80RIPTIVB, ^91
«■■ ! ■ ■ I I ■■ .. — i .1-11 I
in tliis matter, and Mr. Whitney, on the 1st of May, 1798,
addressed him a formal letter on the subject (see page 120),
which led to the conclusion of a contract, June 14th, 1798,
for the manufacture of ten thousand muskets on the
Charleville (French) pattern, at $13.40 each. Mr. Whitney
at once set to work in earnest to get ready for this great
undertaldng. He had already secured the mill site on Mill
River in Hamden, and decided to establish the manufac-
ture there.
It was apparently his expectation, at first, to use imported
barrels, which could be had in the rough at Philadelphia,
but in August of the same year, 1798, in a letter to Oliver
Wolcott, he states that he had a project for procuring iron
in Connecticut, obviating the need of sending to Philadel-
phia for it ; the prevalence of yellow fever there interfering
with business.
Parties at Salisbury, Conn., had also offered to supply
barrels, forged out, ready to bore and turn.
On May 8ist, 1799, Mr. Whitney addressed the Secretary
of the Treasury, Hon. Oliver Wolcott, at considerable
length, explaining the various hindrances that had pre-
vented his completing the aims as soon as had been ex-
pected.
BLl WHITNEY TO SECRETARY WOLOOTT.
* * Sir, — I do not make that progress in the execution of my
contract for fabricating muskets which I expected at the
time I cont-racted. I have met with many unexpected and
unavoidable delays and disappointments, which could not
have been foreseen and guarded against. I was also myself
mistaken in some of my calculations at the thue I entered
into the contract.
" The greatest and principal cause of delay has been the
uncommon length and severity of the past winter. Its
early commencement prevented the completion of many
things appertaining to my water works, such as dams,
JSAMMir OBNTENABf.
flumes, etc., which, had the winter held oft as usual, would
have been accomplished in a short time ; the earth and
water once sealed up with frost, these things must of neces-
sity be postponed, not only till the opening of the spring,
but till the spring floods are over. Its long continuance
produced a great scarcity of forage for cattle, and until
within these few days it has been extremely difficult to pro-
cure any team work even at double the usual prices. These
circumstances have not only delayed the progress of that
part of the business which must be done under my own im-
mediate direction, but rendered it impossible for others to
supply rafe with materials as they had agreed and fulfil their
engagements with me.
"In the month of February I contracted with Messrs.
Forbes & Adam of Canaan, who are unquestionably among
the most able and punctual dealers in and manufacturers of
iron in this country, to make me a number of tools, mill
irons, and other heavy iron work, for all which I carried
them patterns at the time, and to supply me with rolled
iron rods, etc., of a particular description ; all these things
they were to send to me in a fortnight. At the time I was
there their works were frozen up and had been somewhat
injured by a late flood. They, however, attempted to cut
out their wheels and go to work the day I left them, but it
was so extremely cold that they were obliged to give it up
for that day, and said '' after one moderate day their works
would be going and I should have my articles immediately."
But with all their resources and exertions their works are
not yet in motion. I had a letter from them a few days
since saying that *' their works were much more injured
than they imagined, that they had been for a time repair-
ing them and expected to have them in motion the next
week.'"
'*I have been all the more particular in relating these cir-
cumstances because much of my work has been delayed by
this disappointment, and to show that the best, ablest and
most experienced men meet with impediments which they
can neither foresee nor remove.
ktB^OtaOAL AND DBBORliPtlfB,
** At the same time I contracted with another man in the
same neighborhood, a man of property and reputed to be
one of the most punctual, to supply me with several tons of
iron, all to be delivered in the month of April. The season
proved such that neither ore could be dug nor coal burned
till all the fodder for cattle was expended, then neither ore
nor wood could be transported for the want of team work,
and I have not received a single pound of iron from that
quarter.
**The man with whom I contracted to furnish me with
barrels failed, this would have been a great disappointment
if I had met with no other ; as it is, however, I think I shall
do as well as if he had fulfilled his engagements. It would
be too tedious to mention all the disappointments which I
have met with.
"At the time I entered into the contract to manufacture
the arms my mind was much occupied in devising the best
and most expeditious mode of doing the work, and contem-
plated the dispatch and facility with which I could work
after all my apparatus was complete and in motion, and
did not sufficiently consider the time that must necessarily
be taken up in constructing and making this apparatus.
I also at that time intended to have done a considerable
part of the work in the town of New Haven, in the build-
ings which I own and then occupied there, but after view-
ing tlie worlcs at Springfield, where their water works are
at some distance from tlie principal armory, I relinquished
the idea of doing any work in town and determined to do
all my work on one spot. The superintendent at Spring-
field said to me that it would cost me four thousand dollars
a year more to do the same in two places at two miles
distant from each other than if it were all concentrated into
one place. I now perceive that it would have been a very
injudicious arrangement to have attempted to carry on the
work in two places. I find that my personal attention is
more constantly and essentially necessary to every branch
of the work than I apprehended. Mankind generally are
m SAMbitK oitirrBifARf.
not to be depended on, and the best workmen I can find
are incapable of directing. Indeed there is no branch of
the work that can proceed well, scarcely for a single honr,
unless I am present. In consequence of this miscalcula-
tion I shall lose more time and be subject to a greater
expense in erecting the necessary building than I ex-
pected."
« * * * * * *
**I have reason to believe that my general plan of aiTange-
ments is good — my confidence in it increases in propor-
tion as the execution advances — ^my water works are not
yet in motion, but are in forwardness. My arrangements
for forging, filing, etc., are nearly completed. I have about
sixty good men engaged, and a prospect of being able to
procure such number as I may want. I am persuaded
that I can do the work well, and that when I can bring all
my works fairly into application I can do it with dispatch
and to a profit to myself, provided I can be indulged as to
time, and avoid pecuniary embarrassment in an early stage
of the business.
It appears to me that many who have undertaken to make
muskets will make but indifferent ones ; that their system
is such that they will not improve much by practice, and
that their a?^*angements are in no way calculated for per-
manence or increasing progression.
I wish I had an opportunity of laying before you my
whole plan and manner of executing the different branches
of the work, and you had leisure to examine and compare
them with the mode practiced in this and other countries. ;
* * * * * * ^
Captain Decius Wadsworth, residing at New London,
Ct., was by circular letter of the treasury department ap-
pointed inspector of muskets fabricated for the United
States by contractors in the eastern states Dec. 38, 1798.
niBTOmOAL AND DBaOBIPTIVE.
This brought him to the armory at Whitneyville and into
close contact with Mr. Whitney. At the time Mr. Whitney
arranged to go to Washington, Captain Wadsworth gave
him the following letter to the secretary of the treasury,
interesting alike for historic details of the condition of the
works and gun making at that time, and for clearness and
elegance of expression. Oapt. Wadsworth afterwards be-
came chief of ordnance.
Captain Wadsworth to the Seoiketary.
New Haven, Dec. 24, 1800,
Sir: Mr. Whitney being about to proceed to the seat of
government for the purpose of making a representation of
the state of his factory of small arms, has requested me to
address you on the subject.
I have great satisfaction in being able to declare that the
progress already made by him leaves no room to doubt of
his eventual complete success provided he receives suitable
support and encouragement from the government.
The specimens of work which he will carry with him will
speak for themselves. Lest it should be doubted wheth-
er the rest will prove of so good a quality, it may be right to
mention that the specimens which he has proposed to carry
with him may be justly considered as a fair sample of his
work. I entertain not a doubt that the arms he is making,
more especially in that which is the most difficult part (the
Lock), will not only greatly exceed in i)oint of workman-
ship th^ best which have been fabricated for that use in
this country, but even be superior to any muskets for com-
mon use ever yet fabricated in any country.
It is well known that most of the French arms we possess
are of an ancient fabrick; and the Charleville musket, after
which we now pattern, is not in my opinion equal in point
of workmanship to that of Mauberge or St. Efcienne. It is
said that some very great improvements have not long since
been made in France in the construction of the lock.
Doubtless it will be thought an object of importance to de-
d9d HAMDEN OENTENART,
termine whether those alterations are to be adopted or not
in this country. I am acquainted with no peraon to whose
care I should be willing to entrust the making of an exper-
iment, or to whose sense and judgment the eventual adop-
tion or rejection of such alterations might be so safely sub-
mitted.
It must be admitted, I believe, that Mr. Whitney at his
factory unites more advantages for carrying on the manu-
facture of small arms upon a scale sufficiently large than
the national armory at Springfield possesses; and he is hx-
pable of executing the same quantity of work with a much
smaller proportion of manual labor. Where the eye of the
workman is almost the only guide in fitting up the lock, not
only a longer course of practice is requisite to ensure a tol-
erable degree of perfection in the execution; but after all
the similar parts of different locks are so far unlike that
they cannot be mutually substitiitod in cases of accidents.
But where the different parts of the lock are each formed
and fashioned successively by a proper machine, and by the
same hand, they will be found to differ so insensibly that
the similar parts of different locks may be mutually substi-
tuted. The extending of this principle to all the parts of a
musket has been a favourite idea with Mr. Whitney from the
beginning. It has been treated and ridiculed as a vain and
impracticable attempt by almost all those who pretended
to superior knowledge and experience in the business. He
has the satisfaction, however, now of shewing the practica-
bility of the attempt. Although I am of the opinion that
there is more to please the imagination than of real utility
in the plan, yet as it affords an incalculable proof of his su-
perior skill as a workman, and is what I believe has never
been attempted with success before, it is deserving of much
consideration.
Although I have no reason to believe that you in the least
distrust the abilities or character of Mr. Whitney, yet as
I have had particular opportunity by an intimate acquain-
tance to notice the less obvious traits of his character, I
MiafOBtOAL AND PiSOBIPTirB.
hope to be excused for making the observations which fol-
low. His mechanical invention, ingenuity and ability no
one I believe at present pretends to question. He is besides
exempt from the coinmon failing of men of that descrip-
tion, an ardent imagination and extravagant expectations
which often blind them to the consideration of the difficul-
ties and inconveniencies which attend a favourite plan.
Patient, prudent, of mature reHection, diligent, economi-
cal, blest with sound judgment, it is rare to find a man
uniting so many excellences, free from striking defects. He
is therefore entitled to the highest degree of confidence,
aided by which nothing need be feared except the loss of
health or life, or those uncommon accidents against which
prudence is not a sufficient guard. I therefore entertain
a hope that an institution so highly deserving of national
patronage and support will meet with the encouragement
which it merits.
I have the honor to be with entire respect, your very
obedient servant,
Deoius Wadsworth,
Inspector of Small Arms.
The Secretary of the Treasury.
The failure to complete the arms at the specified date
made it necessary to obtain an extension of the time, and to
secure still greater advances of money from the Treasury.
To this end, and to secure the government against loss, a
further bond was required, and one was given by ten of the
substantial citizens of New Haven, interesting to us as
showing not only the high estimation in which Mr. Whit-
ney was held in New Haven, but the patriotic and public
spirit of his fellow citizens.
Indemnity Bond to the United States.
New Haven, Sept. 8, 1799.
WkereaSy Eli Whitney has contracted with the United
States to manufacture 10,000 stands of arms, for the execu-
tion of which he has given bond, and now needs an ad-
vance of 10,000 dollars to aid his progress, which the Secre-
tary of the Treasury will advance on his procuring bond to
account for the same in the delivery of arms :
We, to aid Mr. Whitney, and to encourage the manu-
facture, will join in such bond; provided ten or twelve will
so join, he securing us by mortgage on his farm and works.
Agreed to by: — Simeon Baldwin, David Daggett, Pierpt.
Edwards, Eneas Monson, Jr., Jeremiah Atwater, James
Hillhouse, Elias Shipman, Timo. Phelps, Peleg Sanford,
Elizur Goodrich,
OTHBB ARMOBIES PROPOSED.
Among the letters from Oliver Wolcott, there is one un-
der date of Oct. 9, 1799, expressing his opinion that witli
good management it appeared to him possible to establish
the manufacture of small arms on a permanent footing at
the Armory of Mr. Whitney. He, also, had the idea
that it would be a good plan to establish more than one
armory at New Haven, and sought Mr. Whitney's opinion
on the matter.
Mr. Whitney replied at considerable length, and
gave many reasons why it would not be good policy to
have another establishment in New Haven for the fabrica-
tion of arms, and objected so strongly that the proposition
appears to have been dropped.
THE WHITNEY SYSTEM.
We have already seen that Mr. Whitney could never
have consented to undertake the performance of the con-
tract for such a large number of arms if he had not devised
in his mind a plan by which it could be accomplished (page
135). He had, in fact, invented a new system of manufac-
HI8T0BI0AL AND DB80BIPTIVB.
ture, applicable to any product, and of untold value to the
mechanic arts. In importance it cannot be thought to be
inferior to the invention of the cotton gin, and its success-
ful introduction at Whitneyville is the great and crowning
glory of Eli Whitney' s Uf e.
Whitney was thus the father of the uniformity system in
manufacturing; a system which has been of the utmost
benefit to the human race, and which should be known as
the Whitney System. Its originality is shown by many of
Mr. Whitney's letters, and by contemporary evidence.
He made Whitney armory a school for the nation, send-
ing out from it workmen and superintendents trained to his
methods, to his system of uniformity and interchangeabil-
ity of parts, and to the substitution of machine work for
hand work. Not only this, he aroused the ambition of
men to become skilled in their trade, to lose sight of hoary
precedents and to exercise their minds as well as their
muscles in shaping materials to their uses. His knowledge
of materials and his ability to perform any mechanical
operation, added to his superior intellect, made him a shin-
ing and respected example to those about him. Everyone
appealed to him as the acknowledged leader for advice and
directions, and thus the works grew — and not only superior
arms were produced and sent forth, but a race of sentient,
skiUful mechanics, and just at the time when the young,
growing republic needed every one.
We find that Mr. Whitney was called upon to send, and
that he did send, a skilled armorer to the Government
armory at Springfield, for the purpose of introducing his
system there, and that he was himself sought by the United
States Government to take charge of its most important
armory at Harper's Ferry, and to transfer his machinery
to it. But in addition to these generalities, history requires
the facts upon which they are based. We therefore pre-
sent in full copies of several letters hitherto unpublished.
800 EAMDBN OBNTBNABY.
MB. WHITNEY TO THE SEOBBTARY OF WAR.
In a letter to the Secretary of War, in June, 1801, Mr.
Whitney writes :
^^ It has been my endeavor to erect such works as would be
commensurate with the undertaking and to erect such ma-
chinery as appeared to me best calculated to facilitate and
improve the manufacture of arms of the best quality. My
system and plan of operations are, I believe, entirely new
and different from those heretofore pursued in this or any
other country."
''It was the understanding and expectation of the
Secretary of the Treasury with whom I contracted, that I
should establish a manufactory on the principles which
were then pointed out and explained to him. This system
has been uniformly pursued from the beginning, and
though it has required more time to execute this plan than
I at that time contemplated, it has been successfully re-
duced to practice with less expense than I then appre-
hended would be required, and the machinery in its opera-
tion exceeds my most sanguine expectations. It not only
abridges manual labor but gives a degree of perfection to
the work beyond the power of the most skillful workman
in the usual method.''
'' I had the honor last winter to exhibit some specimens
of my work, and the principles on which these specimens
were made, to His Excellency Mr. Jeflferson, of which he
highly approved, and to whom permit me to refer you.
You will find a musket of my manufacture in the Ti'easury
office which you will be pleased to examine."
'' I am desirous of making you fully acquainted with my
proceedings in this undertaking, and with the construction
of my works. ^ Should you be passing through this place, I
should deem it a particular favor if you will call and take a
view of them. I flatter myself they will meet your full
and entire approbation,"
mSTOBIOAL AND BBBOBJFTIVE. 801
^* Arms inanulactured by inexperienced workmen, with-
out method, and without the assistance of the necessary
implements and machinery, must be of an inferior quality.
When I entered into the contract it was particularly en-
joined upon me ' to do the work well if I took much more
time.' ''
GOVERNOR JONATHAN TRUMBULL TO MR. WHITNET.
In 1802 the State of Connecticut made application to Mr.
Whitney for information as to the expense of small arms
for the Stat/e, Jis shown by the following letter from Gover-
nor Trumbull :
Lebanon, 15th March, 1802.
Sir : By a resolution of the General Assembly, passed
at their last October session, I am requested '^^ to procure
information what would be the probable expense of 2,000
stand of good and well constructed small arms and to lay
the same before the Assembly in May next."
I have therefore to request that you will be pleased to
inform me the price at which you could supply the number
required, and at what time they may probably be com-
pleted, in case the State should eventually resolve to have
them procured. With much regard and esteem, I am, sir.
Your obedt. servant,
JoNA. Trumbull.
Eli Whitney, Esq.,
New Haven.
In addition to Mr. Whitney's engrossing labors at the
Armory he found time to discharge his duty in public
aflPairs in other directions. During the war of 1812 he took
an active part in the defense of New Haven, and was able
to supply a number of men from the works in Hamden.
Under date of Aug. 25, 1814, Governor John Cotton
Smith, of Hartford, wrote in reply to an application by
Mr. Whitney: ''Agreeably to the request contained in
809 HAMDEN 0BNTENAB7.
your letter written in behalf of the committee of defense
at New Haven, I have directed the Quartermaster-General
to forward to your care the number of pickaxes and shovels
you desire from the arsenal of the State."
He also frequently took a prominent part in the general
town meetings, and was several times called upon to preside
as moderator, and to act as auditor of the accounts of tlie
town. He was justice of the peace. By the people of the
town he was generally Icnown as '' Squire Wliitney,'' and
is so referred to in the town records.
VILLAGE OF WHITNEYVILLE.
We cannot pass over without notice the early eflfort of
Mr. Whitney to provide comfortable liomes for his work-
men and superiiitendoiits. lie builfc tlio row of skme fcwo-
story houses at the base of Mill Rock for their benefit. At
that date the dwellings were costly and superior in con-
struction, and they stand to-day as excellent habitations.
This paternal provision by Mr. Whitney for the comfort
and well-being of his employees opens up to us a pleasing
view of his kindly, humane and benevolent spirit, which
was often manifested in other ways. Mr. Whitney was
one of the first to lead in this direction, and to set an
example which has been too tardily followed by others.
OOKRESPONDENOE WITH ROBERT FULTON.
The dilficulties encountered by Mr. Whitney in defend-
ing his right under the cotton gin patent, attracted the at-
tention of Robert Fulton, then engaged in applying steam
power to the propulsion of boats, and who being also un-
der the necessity of seeking the aid of the courts to define
and maintain his rights sought the advice of Mr. Whitney.
His letter to Mr. Whitney tells the whole story:
HtsfORtOAL AlfD JDESORlPTlfS.
New York, March 10, 1810.
Mr. Whitney, Sir: — As you have had much to do
with law in defending your patent will you have the
goodness to inform me if you ever obtained an injunction,
if so, in what case and who was the judge. Any informa-
tion which you can give me on the difficulties which were
presented to your obtaining justice, and by what construc-
tion of the Patent law you did obtain it, or was opposed,
will much oblige your most obedient Robt. Fulton.
In a postscript he adds :
There has been a combination at Albany for the express
purpose of evading the steamboat patent. They adopt all
my principles and only change the combinations in a small
degree. There are two boats building which probably will
be spoiled by errors in proportions, but should they suc-
ceed it will be a case of some importance to inventors and
patentees, on which I shall have to try the strength of the
law.
No. 133 Chambers street, where I shall be happy to see
you should you come to New York.
New York, April 4, 1811.
Dear Sir: — I return you my thanks for your kind and
satisfactory letter. It will give me great pleasure to see
you on your arrival in Now York. You justly remark
that in proportion to an invention being beneficial to the
public, unprincipled individuals feel interested in depriv-
ing the inventor of his mental property; of this you. Sir
Richard Arkwright and Mr. Watt have had more experi-
ence than any other men, and you have done more for
mankind. Our courts are beginning to see the importance
of holding out encouragement to men of inventive powers
by guarding their rights, but to this end inventors and
patentees must combine to defend themselves against the
many.
664 MAltDJtN OiNTliNAttf.
After taking up and laboring through the difficulties of
the steamboats— a subject which was universally ridiculed
as impracticable— after proving their practicability, and
utility to the world, and accommodating the public with a
conveyance from New York to Albany, which for elegance,
convenience and rapidity is superior to any conveyance on
this globe, and which should be considered an ornament to
the arts in our country, a company of speculators at Al-
bany, without the least mechanical knowledge, without
the least pretention to invention, have built two boats in
which they have copied me exact, with a hope that the im-
perfection of the law will permit them to run and earn
money to contend with us in law until the suit be decided,,
to prevent which, I am about to apply for an injunction
and sought your case as one in point. As my suit will be on
a conspicuous object, and one of magnitude, all artists and
inventors are highly interested in the discussion. I shall
perhaps be under the necessity of soliciting your kindness
to attend as evidence of the boats being copies from me.
With sincere esteem and respect, your most obedient,
ROBT. FULTJON.
E. Whitney, Esq.
^ New York, November 25, 1813.
Dear Sir : This will be priBsented to you by Mr. De-
Lacy. * * * * * * *
Mr. DeLacy will explain to you the merits of the case
and the positive evidence of originality as far back as
1809-10, as per Mr. Latrobe's deposition, with the presump-
tive evidence of my publicuition on canals in 1790. The
honest truth is I had in contemplation to make steamboats
draw after them loaded boats as early as 1802-3, of which
Mr. DeLacy will show you in a letter to him two plans, and
my reason for preferring flat-ended boats which can come
close home to each other, thereby avoiding a multiplication
of bow resistance which is always greater than friction,
and having only friction to contend with, whereas draw
maroAioAL Am disso&iptivb. m
boats with sharp bows and stems after a steamboat, and
you have bow resistance and friction also to overcome on
each succeeding boat. I think there cannot be much doubt
but all these investigations and combinations existed in me
long before Mr. Sullivan thought of steamboats, which was
not until years after my boats were running on the North
River. I am, sir, with esteem and respect.
Your most obedient,
RoBT. Fulton.
EU Whitney, Esq.
At the age of fifty-one, in the year 1817, Mr. Whitney
married Miss Henrietta F. Edwards, youngest daughter of
the Hon. Pierpont Edwards and grand-daughter of Rev.
Jonathan Edwards. In 1822 he was seized with the severe
malady which terminated his life in 1826.
Mr. Whitney had, in an eminent degree, a creative, or-
ganizing mind, god-like qualities, which he delighted to ex-
ercise. Original and independent in his conceptions he
devised the shortest and most direct methods to accomplish
any end. Traditions and prejudices which clouded the
vision of most men seemed to vanish before him. He was
singularly free from prejudices and was above the thrall-
dom of precedents. With him, when an end was to be
attained or a machine to be made, the question was, not
how do others do this, but what is the best way to do it t
There seemed little or no barrier to his power of shaping
and moulding materials to his ends. Having been brought
on the cotton plantation face to face with a problem which
to those most deeply interested seemed insoluble he quickly
solved it, and by the simplest and most direct combination
produced the desired results. His device, like that of the
Morse recording instrument, remains essentially the same
to the present day.
We may believe that this triumphant success, so clearly
the result of his own mental operations, strengthened and
emboldened his mental faculties, giving him new courage
98
80d SAMDIBN OJUNTlBJirARr.
for other undertakings. It required not only originality,
but great boldness and self reliance to step out so far beyond
the boundaries of experience and precedent at that time
and undertake the manufacture of ten thousand muskets
for the United States.
Of the value to the world of Whitney's invention of the
cotton gin, and of his introduction of machine work and
the uniformity system, it is impossible to form any just esti-
mate. His name goes to posterity, side by side with
Watts', Arkwright's and Pulton's.
Lord Macaulay is quoted as saying :* * ^ What Peter the
Great did to make Russia dominant, Eli Whitney's inven-
tion of the cotton-gin has more than equalled in its relation
to the progress and power of the United States."
In personal appearance Mr. Whitney is described by his
contemporaries as beyond the medium statue, erect, digni-
fied and elegant in his manners. He had a high sense of
lionor in all his social and business relations, and he never
avoided or failed to meet his business obligations. His
society was courted everywhere. He had a winning, re-
fined and benign expression of countenance, which truth-
fully revealed his disposition. The steel engraved portrait,
the frontispiece of this history, is from the life-size por-
trait, painted by King, of Washington, a few years before
Mr. Whitney's death, and now in the possession of his
son. This painting is considered an excellent likeness, and
this likeness is well preserved in the engraving.
Reminisobnobs op Whitney by the Eldeb Silliman.
Professor Silliman, Sr., in liis Reminiscences of Mr.
Whitney, says :
*'The operations of Mr. Whitney's mind were not so re-
markable for rapidity as for precision. This arose not from
the want of mental activity and ardor of feeling but from
•Our First Century, Devens, p. 168.
mSTORlCAL AND DBaORlPTlYB. 807
habitual caution, and from his having made it his rule to be
satisfied with nothing short of perfection. Hence, he de-
layed to mention a projected invention or improvement un-
til he was entirely satisfied with his own views. He did
not disclose them until in his own opinion he had hit upon
the best conception, and the best means of execution, and
when these were attained, and not before, he brought his
project forward, or more frequently, put it into successful
operation before he divulged his plan. Hence he rarely found
it necessary to retrace his steps. In early life he so effect-
ually disciplined his mind that he could not only confine it
to the contemplation of one subject but he could suspend
his train of thought and the execution of his inventions and
resume them at distant intervals without confusion or loss.
He was very patient of interruption and would cheerfully
leave his own engagement and suspend his mechanical ar-
rangements, his repasts, or his business, to attend to the
numerous applications which were constantly made to him
both by those who had, and those who had not, any proper
claims to his time and services."
^*I was frequently led to observe that his ingenuity ex-
tended to every subject which demanded his attention; his
arrangements even of common things, were marked by sing-
ular good taste and a prevailing principle of order. The
effect of this mental habit is very obvious in the disposition
of the buildings and accommodation of his manufactory of
arms, although owing to the infirmities of his later years,
and to other causes, his arrangements were never finished to
the full extent of his views. The machinery has great neat-
ness and finish, and in its operation evinces a degree of pre-
cision and efficiency which gratifies every curious and in-
telligent observer. I have many times visited the establish-
ment with strangers and foreigners who have gone away
delighted with what they have seen. Under all of the suc-
cessive administrations of the general government, from
that of the first President Adams, repeated contracts have
been obtained for the supply of arms."
806 HAMDEN 0BNTENAB7.
* *A few years before Mr. Whitney* s death it became neces-
sary to renew the mill dam at the manufactory, it having
been originally constructed for a flour mill and being both
defective in plan and dilapidated by time. Mr. Whitney,
then in declining health, superintended every part of the
business in person, although its execution was protracted
almost into tlie winter, when massive stones were to be laid
in the midst of cold water and ice. It is necessary only to
inspect the work and the flumeways and the walled bor-
ders of the river below and the canal which he constructed
to take the water from the dam to the forging shop to be
satisfied that both genius and taste presided over there use-
ful though unostentatious constructions."
^ * With all his contemplative ingenuity and habitual atten-
tion to mechanical detail, Mr. Whitney did not allow his
mind to be narrowed down to a limited horizon. His views
of men and things were on the most enlarged scale. 'Plie
interests of mankind, and especially of his native country as
connected with government, liberty, order, science, arts,
literature, morals, and religion were familiar to his mind,
and he delighted in conversing with men of a similar char-
acter. His amiable and generous disposition also promp-
ted him strongly to social intercourse. His countenance
and person were so prepossessing as to excite an active inter-
est, especially, whenever he spoke, his gentlemanly man-
ners marked by a calm but dignified modesty, were still
those of a man not unconscious of his own menial powers; he
was therefore self-possessed, while a winning affability and
agreeable voice made his conversation as attractive as it
was instructive. He abounded in information and in orig-
inal thoughts. He was always welcome in the best society
both at home and when he traveled; the first men of the
country and from almost every state in the Union called on
him and much of his time was necessarily spent in society.
mSTORIOAL AND DBSOBLPTIVS.
PRESIDENT DAY ON ELI WHITNEY.
At the grave of Wliitney the accomplished scholar,
Jeremiah Day, president of Yale College, said: "How
frequent and how striking are the monitions to us that this
world is not the place of our rest I It is not often the case
that a man has laid his plans for the business and the en-
joyment of life with a deeper sagacity than the friend
whose remains we have now committed to the dust. He
had received as the gift of Heaven a mind of a superior
order. Early habits of thinking gave to it a character of
independence and originality. He was accustomed to form
his decisions not after the model of common opinion, but
by his own nicely balanced judgment. His mind was
enriched with the treasures which are furnished by a liberal
education. He had a rare fertility of invention in the
arts ; an exactness of execution almost unequalled. By a
single exercise of his powers he changed the state of ciQti-
vation and multiplied the wealth of a large portion of our
country. He set an example of system and precision in
mechanical operations which others had not thought of
even attempting. ' '
En Whitney.— (2d) b. in New Haven, November 24th,
1820 ; m. June 17, 1846, Sarah Perkins Dalliba, dau. of
Major James Dalliba, of the United States Ordnance Corps,
who was at the battle of Lundy's Lane. 'Children: 1.
Eli, who d. at age of four months ; 2. Eli ; 3. Susan Hunt-
ington ; 4. Henrietta Edwards. At the age of 18, in the
year 1838, Mr. Whitney entered the sophomore class in
Princeton College and graduated there in 1841.
In the year 1842 he took charge of the Armory and the
other property inherited from his father, and has since
greatly extended and improved them. He has been the
master mind of the establishment at Whitneyville and has
shown a high degree of inventive skill and capacity in the
management of the complicated affairs of the business.
810 HAMDBN OBNTBJfABT.
Many large contracts for arms with our own and with
foreign governments have been filled by him to the entire
satisfaction of the parties. Over four hundred thousand
(400,000) stands of arms and revolvers have been sent out
from the Armory since he took charge of it. The buildings
have been greatly extended and improvements made, of
which an account has already been given — pages 139-143.
We owe also to Mr. Whitney's foresight and fine taste
the beautiful double line of elm trees bordering Whitney
Avenue for two miles ; most of them set out at Mr. Whit-
ney's cost in the years 1837 to 1846 to replace the double
row of Lombardy poplars, which were originally planted
by his father, and which began to die out from age and
disease.
Mr. Wliitney was the active proposer and i)romoter of
the enterprise which gave a fall supply of pure water to the
city of New Haven, and has shown engineering abilities of
a high order in his skillful erection of the great dam, the
laying out of new roads necessitated by the formation of
the lake which bears his name, the removal of the covered
bridge and in many ways connected with the enlargement
of the buildings and general arrangement of the Armory.
He was the first to suggest the use of East Rock for a
public park for the city of New Haven.
The Whitney dam and the New Haven water worlds have
already been briefly noticed. About 250,000 feet of stone
were used in building the dam. It is placed on solid rock.
The base, or bed, has an inclination up stream, which in-
sures great safety to the structure. Mr. Whitney gave his
personal attention to the planning and the details of the
construction, and was the contractor for the entire water
works, 0. McClellan & Son being only nominally associated
with him as contractors. The profitor the loss was to be Mr.
Whitney's. His predecessor, the Hon. Aaron Skinner, had
a plan for water works on a much more limited scale, par-
ticularly so far as the lake and the water power were con-
cerned. At the time Mr. Whitney undertook to build the
mafomoAL ANb desoj^pth^.
water works for the city it was a very heavy and doubtful
undertaking. There was much opposition to the enterprise
in New Haven, and collections could not be made during a
most severe financial crisis, soon after President Lincoln's
election. The charter was assigned to Mr. Whitney on con-
dition that he should build the entire water works. The
corporators were Messrs. Henry L. Hotchkiss, Ezra C. Read,
O. P. Winchester, James Brewster, and others. Mr. Whit-
ney chose a board of directors, with E. C. Scranton, Presi-
dent. Fortunately the armory had received large contracts
for arms, and it was kept running night and day making
the money required to carry on the building of the water
works, and to contend with the most violent opposition.
But a small part of the contract price ($360,000), was paid
in cash, most of it was in stock and bonds, so that practi-
cally the works were built by Mr. Whitney, with his own
means and credit.
Eli Whitney, Jr. (3d) b. Jan. 22, 1847; m. Sarah Sheffield
Parnam, Oct. 22, 1873. Six daughters.
Mr. Whitney entered Yale College in 1865 and graduated
in 1869. He has been associated with his father in the
management of the affairs of the Whitney Arms Company.
He has served as one of the commissioners of the East Rock
Park. In 1884 he was elected alderman of the city of New
Haven, and is a member of the Board of Public Works.
WHITING.
Captain Jacob Whiting, of Hamden, commanded the
company of one hundred men sent from the town, in
October, 1814, to aid in throwing up earthworks at Beacon
Hill, for the better protection of New Haven.
Towards the end of the last century:
Nathan Whiting, m. O. Dorman. Children: Daniel
W., George D., Henry S., and one daughter.
./ 6AJt>ayOsirTsirAit.
G^xoBOx D. Whitino, b. in Hamden, June 28, 1819; m.
Julia E. Buell, b. in KilUngworth, Ct., Jan. 26, 1820.
Children, Edward M., b. July 28, 1841; George W*, Jan.
80, 1848; Daniel W., Sept. 12, 1844; Esther L., Jan. 26,
1846; Geo. W., Mar. 16, 1848; Nathan R., July 6, 1860;
George W., July 16, 1868; Julius A., Aug. 11, 1866; Julius
A., Jan. 16, 1869; Ellsworth M., Oct. 18, 1862.
^atoRioAt ANi) JDEsoAiPTTTje. m
I
TAXATION AND LAND RECORDS.
BY ELLSWORTH B. OOOPEB.
(AXES were laid, or assessed, and the grand list
was kept in the old English currency, £. s. d.,
(pounds shillings and pence,) until the year 1799,
when for the first time in the record, we find the
rate of assessment expressed in terms of the dollar — six
mills on a dollar.
At the special town meeting, in November, 1786, it will be
observed, (p. 210) that "Geo. Augustus Bristol was chosen
collector of taxes that are, or may be laid by the State on
the list for the year 1785 ;" and that " this town tax them-
selves 4d. on the pound for defraying the necessary ex-
pense arising upon this town for the year ensuing."
The amounts collected each year and the rate of taxation
are shown by the following extracts from the Records :
List of 1786. — Amount collected by John Hubbard, Esq.,
CoUector of the Town Rate on list of 1786, £173.13.6— 4d.
on the pound.
List of 1787. — ^Amount collected by Hezekiah Warner,
Collector of the Town Rate, £166.13.9f— 4d. on the pound.
Mr. Warner was to receive '' five pounds as a compensa-
tion for collecting the Town Tax."
List of 1788. — Amount collected by Hezekiah Warner,
Collector of Town Taxes, at 3d. on the pound, £124.
8.4i.
List for 1789.— In Selectmen's Book, Vol. I, p. 41, it is
stated that " The Grand List of the Town of Hamden for
year 1789 is £9,684.9.6i — ^Two pence half -penny on the
pound. Collected by Mr. Geo. A. Bristol, £99.16.9i.
List for 1790.— Vol. I, p. 41, the Grand List for 1790 is
£10, 766. 16. 3i — one penny half -penny Tax laid on said list.
Mr. Benjamin Wooding, Collector, £67.4.6.
40
ftl4 tiAMbHir OMNfENAitt.
List of 1791.— Two penny tax, collected by Capt. Samuel
Bellamy, £87.16.9. Selectmen's Book, p. 363.
Dec. 10, 1792.— At a Town Meeting it was voted "A tax
of two pence on the pound on the polls and ratable estate
payable the first day of February next * * and
that Enos Bradley collect the same." Amount collected,
£89.13.9.2.
Deo. 9, 1793.— A tax of two pence on the pound was
voted, payable the 1st day of March next ; and Samuel
Homeston was chosen Collector.
Dec. 8, 1794.— Mr. Hummiston is credited with tax col-
lected, £93.6.9i, also £142.7.1* ; and Mr. Timothy Bassett,
£191.11.4.
Dec. 8, 1794. — ^A tax of three pence on the pound was
laid and Samuel Humiston was chosen Collector.
Dec. 14, 1795. — A tax of one penny half -penny was laid
for repairing highways, payable March 1, 1796, and a tax
of three pence half -penny for Town Expenses, and it was
voted that Timothy Bassett collect the same. The meeting
was adjourned to Dec. 22, 1796, when it was voted to *' re-
scind the vote passed last meeting relative to mending
highways by a tax," and it was voted to add a half-
penny to the tax laid last meeting to defray the town
expenses.
Dec. 10, 1796. — At a town meeting a tax of four pence on
the Pound was laid * 'payable on the first of February
next," and Levi Bradley was chosen Collector. Amt. Col-
lected, £194.16.
List of 1797.— A four pence tax on List of 1797, col-
lected by Capt. Asa Atwater, amounted to £204.10.6.2.
List of 1798. — Mr. Eli Goodyear collected a two pence
tax, £100.10.11.3.
List of 1799.— Mr. David Potter collected a six mill on
the dollar tax, amounting to $263.66 cts.
List of 1800.— Mr. Javin Wooding collected 8 mills on
the dollar amounting to $326.68.
maTOBIOAL AND DESOBIPTIVB, 815
List of 1810. — 2 cents on tlie dollar. Amount of Grand
List was $36,072.96. Tax $701.46. Allen Dickerman, Col-
lector.
List of 1820. — 6 cents on the dollar, Jesse Grilbert, Col-
lector. Amt. $1,229.95.
Listof 1830.— Amount of Grand List, $22,136.89. Tax
four cents on the dollar. Amount $886.43. Elihu Dicker-
man, Collector.
Listof 1840.— Amount of Grrand List, $24,820.34, 6 cents
on the dollar. Amount $1,240.63. Henry Peck, Collector.
List of I860.— Amount of Grand List, $26,844.61; 6 cent
tax. Amount of $1,342.23. Russel S. Jacobs, Collector.
List of I860.— Grand List of $11,974.42; two mills, amount
of tax, $2,394,88. Harvey Hale, Jr., Collector.
List of 1870.— Grand List $1,639,941. Tax ten miUs.
Amount $16,399.41. . Henry L. Bristol, Collector.
List of 1880.— Grand List, $1,623,606. Tax ten mills,
amount on Rate Book, $17,197.06. Jesse Warner, Collec-
tor.
List of 1886.— Grand List, $1,680,461.40. Tax ten mills,
payable Sept. 10, 1886. Jesse Warner, Collector.
HAMDEN LAKB BEOOBDS.
There are now forty volumes of Hamden Land Records.
Up to the time of the incorporation the records of transfers
of land were kept in New Haven. The first deed recorded
in Hamden in Volume I, after the incorporation, bears the
date, July 6th, 1786; and is from Anthony Thomson, Jr. to
Joel Goodyear, conveying about five rods of land. Wit-
nesses to the deed: Samuel Atwater, Simeon Bristol.
It was acknowledged before Simeon Bristol, Justice of the
Peace, and recorded by Simeon Bristol, Clerk.
The last deed in Volume I is dated Jan. 7, 1792 and is
from Simeon Bristol to Hezekiah Dickerman. It was wit-
nessed by Asaph Nichols and Mary Bristol.
818 HAMDBN OSNTENART.
The last deed recorded by Simeon Bristol is found in
Vol. V, p. 148, given by James Bassett to Abigail and Sarah
Bassett for the consideration of Love and Good will. This
deed conveys one certain tract of land lying in said Ham-
den at a place formerly called Popple Hill; bonnded east
on the Country Road, south on land of Thomas Leek,
west on highway, and north on land of John Bassett;
containing thirteen acres, be the same more or less. Tlie
date is April 2d, 1801, but it purports to be I'ecorded Dec.
2d, 1781. The following deed is from John Wood to Giles
Cooper, dated Nov. 10, 1801, and was recorded by Russel
Pierpont, Clerk, Dec. 16, 1801, and was acknowledged be-
fore John Hubbard, Justice of the Peace. Russel Pierpont
was Town Clerk for 1801-1842. In Vol. XX, p. 276, is the
last deed recorded by Russel Pierpont, dated April 2, 1842;
recorded Sept. 16, 1842; and on page 277, is the first
deed recorded by Leverett Hitchcock, Town Clerk: dated
Sept. 27, 1842; recorded Oct. 11, 1842; and the last signed
by him as Town Clerk was recorded in Vol. XXXIV page
207, Nov. 20, 1876.
LIST OF PSBS0N8 WHO HAYS HELD THE OFFICE OF TOWN
CLERK OF HAMBEN TO 1876.
Simeon Bristol, .... 1786 to 1801
Russel Pierpont, .... 1801 to 1842
Leverett Hitchcock, .... 1842 to 1876
Ellsworth B. Cooper, . 1876
niaTomoAL and desoeiptivb. sit'
ADMISSION OF FREEMEN.
|HE phraseology of the record of the town in
regard to the admission of freemen varies from
time to time. The record sometimes states that
the i)erson8 were admitted to be *^ Freemen of
the Corporation " ; sometimes to be " Freeman of this Town
of Hamden " ; " Freemen of the Corporation of the Town of
Hamden"; or, "free of this Corporation"; or **made
free of the Corporation of the Town of Hamden." In 1800
the candidates were " admitted and sworn as freemen of
this corporation on certificate as the law directs." In 1801
admissions were made on certificate of the Selectmen. In
1802 on the certificate of the civil authority and Selectmen.
In 1804 and after the record reads : "Admitted Freemen of
the State on certificate from the Civil Authority and Select-
men of said town. ' ' In 1818 the record reads " At a meeting
of the Civil Authority and Selectmen of the Town of
Hamden legally warned and held, the following persons
were examined and found qualified for Freemen of the
State of Connecticut and duly sworn as the law directs.''
In 1819 it reads : "At a meeting of the Electors of the
Town of Hamden, etc., the following persons were exam-
ined by the Town Clark and Selectmen of said town and
found (lualiiied for Electors of this State, and duly sworn
as the law directs as by their certificate."
Dr. Bronson writes in his Chapters on the Early Govern-
ment of Connecticut, (Henry Bronson, M. D.), New Haven
Hist. Soc. Papers: (iii, 313.) " The Freemen of Connecticut
under the Constitution were a kind of popular aristocracy
holding a midway station between the plebian and patrician
classes. Supported seemingly by both, they became the
trusted pillars of the Commonwealth. Evidently they
were not numerous. What their number was when the
Constitution was adopted is unknown ; but in the first ten
818 BAMDIS2{ OBNTSNAR T.
years which followed I cannot find that more than twenty-
three were admitted. During the whole life of the Consti-
tution, from January, 1639, to October, 1662, nearly
twenty-four years, two hundred and twenty-nine admis-
sions are on record ; while the increase of population may
have been three thousand, one-quarter of them males of
legal age. The facts indicate that only a small proportion,
certainly a minority of those of twenty-one years and
over, were Freemen, some of them doubtless because they
did not desire the honors if they must also bear the bur-
dens. In Massachusetts, where none but church members
voted, the Freemen in 1670, according to Palfrey, were
only one in four or five of the male adults, (iii, 41.) In
Plymouth Colony the people were so indifferent that it was
cu£|tomary ^ to persuade, sometimes compel, them to be
free.' "*'
LIST OF PERSONS ADMITTED FREEMEN OF THE TOWN OF
IIAMDEN, 1785-1835.
At a meeting of the freemen of the town of Hamden, held
on the 19th day of September, 1786, the following named
persons "were admitted to be Freemen of this Corpora-
tion :"
1786.— Joseph Pardy, Levi Bradley, Asa Goodyear Jr.,
Medad Ailing.
1787.— Titus Goodyear, Eli Bradley, Amasa Bradley,
Ja^ez Bradley, Ebenr. McGiUs, Amos Dickerman, Dan' 11
Bradley Junr., Nathan Ailing Junr., Jabez Turner.
1789.— Ezra Kimberly.
1790.— Jeremiah Crittendend.
1792. — ^Jared Goodyear.
1794.— Joel Ford, Caleb Atwater, Luman Frisbee, ''ad-
mitted Freemen in open Freemen's meeting."
1795.— Levi Tuttle, John Ba^sett, Elisha Atwater, Eli
Goodyear, Lyman Bradley.
♦(Narratiye of the Royal Oommiflsioners, 1066.)
1796. — Jason Bradley Jr., Bethel Todd, LeverettKimber-
ly, Russell Pierpont, Timothy Potter Jr.
1797. — ^Elam Ives, Zadoo Ailing.
1798. — Jessee Peck, Amos Benham, Charles Tuttle,
Greorge Benham, Daniel Chatterton, Abijah Brooks, Levi
Groram.
1799. — Samuel Hitchcock Jr., Jared Ailing, Jessee Ives,
Elam Bradley.
1800. — Isaac Munson, Enos Dickerman, Joseph Munson,
Beach Munson, "were made free of the corporation of the
town of Hamden."
At a meeting of the Freemen of the town of Hamden,
Sept. 16, 1800, the following persons were admitted and
sworn as Freemen of this corporation on certificate as the
law directs :
Samuel Dickerman, Benoni Dickerman, Ichabod Hitch-
cock, Elisha Leek, Jabez Munson, Jessee Potter, William
Shares, Joseph Grilbert 3d, Timothy Andrews, Dan' 11 Doo-
little, Thomas Gill, Enos Tuttle Jr., Ailing Potter, EU
Potter, Justus Potter, Hezekiah Dickerman, Jessee Mans-
field, EliadaHitclicock, Jeremiah Peck, AmosBassett, Jona-
than Booth, Jared Munson, Jabez Munson Jr., Josiah
Mansfield, Simeon Todd, Aleck [1] Todd, Jessee Johnson
Jr., Joseph Heaton, Roger Dorman, Samuel Cooper, Jessee
Warner, Samuel Warner, Jonah Warner, Ebenezer War-
ner Jr., Isaac Warner, Daniel Dorman, Theophilus Basse tt,
Timothy Leek Jr., Isaac Woodin, Jonah Ford, Joseph*
Hummiston, Amos Warner, Timothy Turner, Charles Ail-
ing Jr., Ira Woolkutt, Jessee Bradley, Simeon Warner,
James Peck, Pratt Jones, John Sperry, Alexander Booth.
1801.-— Enos Atwater, Anthony Thompson, Hezekiah
Bassett Jr., Dimond Robberts, Isaac Hitchcock, Thomas
Gilbert, Caleb Doolittle Jr., Gideon Hurlbut, Joseph Peck,
John Leavenworth, Jared Leavenworth, Benjn. Gaylord
Jr., Ailing Gaylord, Moses Ford Jr., Aaron Perkins, Benjn.
Woodin, Ezra Bradley Jr., Miles Sperry, were admitted
Freemen of this corporation on certificate of the Selectmen.
Test, Simeon Bristol, clerk.
1802.— Eli Dickennan^ Ailing Dickerman, Amos Bradley
Jr., Jeremiah Ailing, Seymour Bradley, John Potter,
Leverit Mix, Jared Potter, Roger Ailing, John Morrison,
SilM Hotchkiss, Nicholas Howel Jr., Benjn. Peck, Truman
Sanford, Josiah Todd, Malaci Tyler, Jazon Potter, Ebenr.
Mansfield, Chauncey Dorman, David Brockett, Medad
Todd, Jessee Cooper, Amos Bradley 8d, Reuben Doolittle,
Micajah Talmadge, Matthew Grilbert Blalcslee.
1803. — Amos Bradley, Elam Dickerman.
1804.— Ezra Bradley, Justus Humiston, Asa Bradley,
Obed Blakesley, Levi Ailing, Elisha Woolcott, Joseph
Smith, Samuel Goodyear.
1806.— Joel Thompson, Russell Gay lord, Chester Potter,
Lyman Tuttle, Lyman Atwater, Miles Dickerman, Roswell
Lee, Lyman Munson, Benjamin Spencer, Jared Atwa-
ter, Jr.
1806.-— Alvin Bradley, Jr., Leverett Dickerman, Andrew
Goodyear, Obed Bradley, Jesse Doolittle, Benjamin Mix,
Joseph Johnson, Jr., Daniel Gilbert, Isaac Johnson,
Timothy Cooper, Jr., Moses Gilbert, Jr., Ambrose Tuttle,
Stephen Ford, Jr., Jared Ives, Jeremiah Gilbert, Ansel T.
Lesley.
1807. — Return E. Jones, Eldad Bassett, Ransom Ben-
ham, Samuel B. Kingsley, Manly Dickennan, James Tal-
madge, William Peck, Elii)hlet Gregory.
1808. — ^Elizur Cadwel, Zebe Munson, John Bradley, Amos
Allen, Richard Wilson, Stephen Hitchcock, Seymour Good-
year, Leveritt Tuttle, Russel Ives.
1809. — Jesse Blakslee, Moris Kimberly, Chauncey Dick-
erman, Jr., Haris Bradley, Silas Barns, Bodereck Kimberly.
1810.— Medad Atwater, Jared Bassett, James Thompson,
Luis Goodyear.
1811. — Stephen Atwater, Whiting Dickerman, Lyman
Ford, Martin Leonard.
1812. — Jason Dickerman, Job L. Munson, Jr., Asa Ailing,
Amos W. Sanford, Sheldon Peck.
1813.— Jonathan Deming, Giles Dunbar, John Pardee.
mafoRioAL Attn i>S80BtPTJn^. tei
1814. — Isaac Tuttle, Aaron Cliatterton, Job Potter.
1815. — James Atwater, Ebenezer Mansfield, Jr., Ambrose
Perkins, Lyman AUing, Alfred Bassett, Aaron T. Potter,
Lyman Tuttle.
1816. — Seymour Dickerman, Parsons Ives, Orrin Todd,
Ilezekiah Brockett, John L. Mansfield, Bussell Munson,
Henry Meriman, Jere Davis.
1817.— Starling Bradley, Asa Bradley, Stephen W. At-
water, Chester Dickerman, Lyman Goodyear, Horace Good-
year, Isaac Benham, Caleb Thomas, Jr., Jason Bassett,
Elias Bassett, Theophilus Bassett, Jr., Jared Atwater, Jr.,
Timothy Potter, Jabez Potter, David Warner, Isaac New-
ell, Elias Mansfield, Lyman Mansfield, William Homiston,
Samuel Ailing, Deering Monson, Zenos Warner, Elam
Warner, Nathan Kingsbury, Samuel Manser, John Gor-
ham, Timothy Andrews, Jr., Harvey Bassett, Eli Dicker-
man, John Perkins, Jr., Levi Perkins, Jacob Whiting,
Joseph Hough, Heaton Andrews, Labon Downs.
1818. — ^Tlie following persons were examined and found
qualified for Freemen of the State of Connecticut and duly
sworn as the law dil'ects :
1818. — Levi Baldwin, Michael Leak, Merit Dorman,
Austin Gilbert, Joseph Potter, Elihu Blake, David Leak,
Major Goodsel, Stephen Babcock, Oliver B. Potter, Eliph-
alet Smith, Silas Sanford, Chauncey Preston, William
Ramsdell, Ezra Ailing, James Ramsdell, Justus Warner,
Jacob Whiting, Ira Perkins, Benj. Peck, Levi Munson.
1819. — Enos Brooks, Albert Goodyear, Titus Doolittle,
Jr., Joel Dorman, Jesse T. Goodyear, Eussell Bradley,
Isaac Munson, Hiram Sanderson,
1820. — ^Daniel Carrington, Barakiah Fairbanks, Ammi
M. Pierpont, Aaron Kilbourn, Markus Talmadge, Josiah
Brinsmade, Jason Wooding, Jr., Herman Doolittle, Horace
Potter, Lewis Peck, Truman Potter, Jesse Warner, Ezra
Cooper, Amos Persons, Stephen Warner.
1821. — James M. Ford, Charles Cooper, James H. Bench-
ley, Leveritt Hotchkiss, Russell Leek, Joseph C. Burk.
41
m BAMbsar oMirTJtirAAt.
1822.— Joel Munson, Alanson Tuttle, Enos Dickennan,
Jr., Martin Stevens, Alen [1] Terrel, Henry Gilbert, Ezra
Allen, 2d, James Bassett, Jr., Jesse Gilbert, Jr.
1823.— Jesse Merrick Mansfield, Nathaniel Ford, Sey-
mour Potter, Merritt Ford, Jonathan Dickennan, Amos R.
Hough.
1824.— Elihu Dickennan, Jesse Tuttle, Jr., Henry Hill,
Mias Ford, Eaton Bassett, Henry P. Potter, Stephen C.
Gilbert.
1825.— Silas Bradley, Russelr Ailing, Hervey Ford, Lib-
beus Dickerman, George B. Brockett, Rufus Dorman,
Charles Wooding, Alyah Monson, Lamon Doolittle, Gibbs
Gilbert.
1826.— Horace Leek, Samuel Clark, Elijah Hart, Horace
Doolittle, Henry Peck, Zealous Warner, Henry Wooding,
Alfred Dorman, Marcus Merriman, Chandler Sanderson.
1828. — ^Noyes Riggs, Joshua Atwater, Hiram Parker,
Israel Kelsey Jr., George Gtoodsel, David Sanderson, Amie
Munson, George Atwater, William Simpson, Marcus Good-
year, David Bassett. "Loyal Todd was admitted on his
certificate from the town clerk of North Haven.''
1829.^-Isaac Jones, Jesse G. Ives, Lyman Hotchkiss,
Henry E. Sanger.
1830.— Amos Peck Junr., Harvey Leek, George Kimber-
ly, Edmond D. Bradley, George Dorman, Alen C. Bradley,
Albert Dickerman, Bial Leonard, Alfred Cooper, Harvey
Bradley, Lewis Todd, Elias Turrel, Griswold L Gilbert,
Joel G. Warner, Sackett G. Benham, Julius S. Tolls.
1831.— Joseph A. Smith, John A. Arnold, William F.
Bradley, Lewis Perkins, Allen Tuttle, John Potter, Luther
Potter, Beri S. Tuttle, Charles H. Atwater, William Brad-
ley.
1832.— Enos Bassett, Dana Leek, Ethel Mix, Edmond S.
Doolittle, Otis Peck, Ezra Austin, Charles Baldwin, Caleb
Wilson, Alfred Dickerman, Albert Sperry, William H.
Turner, Major Smith, Horace Tuttle, Henry Ives.
HIBTOBIOAZ AND DBaORIPTIVB.
1833.— Merit Ailing, Noah Wolcott, Jared D. Gorham,
Eussel Warner, Vinas Wooding; Levi Warner, Uri Todd,
Jotham Bradley, Alva Warner, Henry Leek, Lewis Merri-
man, Amos Frost, Edward L. Jacobs.
1834. — Lyman Gribbard, Austin Eaton, Edward Nichols,
Joseph W. Plagg, Thomas Morgan, Henry Handy, Russel
H. Cooper, Richard Wilson Jr., James Warner, Chauncey
Nutt, Willis Doolittle, Lonzo Warner, Miner Warner,
Harley Warner, Chauncey Ailing, WiUis Churchill, Abner
Warner, William Todd, Richard Wood, Amos Tuttle, Asa
K. Ailing, Walter Warner, William H. Marther, Ezra
Bradley, Uri Johnson, Calvin Duning, Luther L. Benham.
SELECTMEN OF HAMDEN.
1786 TO 1886.
1786. — John Hubbard, Asa Groodyear, Samuel Dicker-
man, Moses Gilbert, Simeon Bristol Esqr.
1787. — John Hubbard, Samuel Dickerman, Moses Gilbert,
TheophUus Goodyear, Abraham Ailing.
1788. — ^Theophilus Goodyear, Medad Atwater, Abraham
Ailing, Isaac Dickerman, Alvan Bradley.
1789. —Medad Atwater, Abraham AUing, Capt. Samuel
Atwater, Alvan Bradley, Jabez Bradley.
1790. — ^Isaac Dickerman, Samuel Hummiston, John Hub-
bard Esqr., Hezekiah Warner, Stephen Goodyear.
1791.— Isaac Dickerman, Stephen Ford, Caleb Ailing,
Hezekiah Warner, Bajzet Munson Esqr.
1792. —Stephen Ford, Bajzet Munson Esqr., Caleb Ail-
ing, Hezekiah Warner, Elisha Chapman. Jan. 7, 1793, Joel
Ford was elected in place of Stephen Ford, " refused."
1793._Theophilus Goodyear, Stephen Ford, Simeon Bris-
tol, Caleb Ailing, Samuel Bellamy.
894 RAMDEN OBNTBNAItT.
1794.— Simeon Bristol, James Basset Junr., Sam'U
Bellamy, Joel Ford, Ezra Ives.
1796. — Ezra Ives, Joshua Atwater, James Basset Junr.,
John Hubbard Esqr., George A. Biistol.
1796.— John Hubbard Esqr., James Basset Junr., Amasa
Bradley, Hezh. Dickerman, Thomas Potter.
1797. — Hezh. Dickerman, Thomas Potter, Amasa Bradley,
Caleb Ailing, Bajzet Munson Esqr.
1798.— Caleb Ailing, Bajzet Munson, Isaac Dickerman,
Philemon Potter, Josiah Boot.
1799.— Isaac Dickerman, Philemon Potter, James Basset
Junr., Simeon Bristol, Sam'U Bellamy.
1800.— Philemon Potter, Samuel Bellamy Esqr. Alvan
Bradley, James Basset Junr., John Hubbard Esqr.
1801.— Philemon Potter, Samuel Bellamy Esqr., Alvin
Bradley, James Basset Junr., John Hubbard Esqr.
1802.— Amasa Bradley, Medjid Atwater, Alvan Bi'adley,
Timothy Bassett, Joseph Dorman.
1803. — ^Alvan Bradley, Medad Atwater, Joseph Dorman,
Amasa Bradley, Timothy Bassett.
1804. — ^Mr. Alvan Bradley, Medad Atwater, Amasa Brad-
ley, Timothy Bassett, Joseph Dorman.
1806. — ^Amasa Bradley, Medad Atwater, Timothy Bas-
sett, Joseph Dorman, Chauncey Dickerman.
1806. — Chauncey Dickerman, Eussel Pierpont, Philemon
Potter, Levi Gorham, Samuel Atwater, Captain Stephen
Ford, Jesse Tuttle.
1807.— Eussel Pierpont, Amos Bassett, Jesse Tuttle, Levi
Grorham, Jesse Dickerman.
1808. — Eussel Pierpont, Levi Gorham, Jesse Tuttle, Jesse
Dickerman, Joseph Gilbert Junr., Timothy Bassett.
1809. — Levi Gorham, Joseph Gilbert Junr., Ezra Kimber-
ly, Jesse Dickerman, Jesse Tuttle.
1810. — Hezekiah Warner, Enos Dickerman, Jared At-
water, Amasa Bradley, Elam Bradley. (Ezra Kimberly,
Jesse Tuttle and Joseph Gilbert Junr., were excused.)
HI8T0BI0AL AND DEaCRIPTIVE, 825
1811.— Hezekiah Warner, Enos Diokerman, Jared At-
water, Amasa Bradley, Elam Bradley.
1812. — Jared Atwater, Elam Bradley, Roger Dorman,
Daniel Chatterton, Amos Diokerman.
1813.— Daniel Chatterton, Roger Dorman, Amos Dicker-
man, Lyman Atwater, Joel Ford Jr.
1814. — Roger Dorman, Amos Diokerman, Daniel Chatter-
ton, Lyman Atwater, Joel Ford.
1816. — Joel Ford, Lyman Atwater, Jared Basset, Elias
Hotchkiss, Ambrose Tuttle.
1816. — Justus Ilomiston, Hezekiah Warner, Enos Dicker-
man, Lymah Ford, Zadoo Allen.
1817. — Zadoc Allen, Lyman Ford, Joseph Dorman, Lev-
eritt Tuttle, Jesse Mansfield.
1818.— Lyman Ford, Jesse Mansfield, Joseph Dorman,
Leveritt Tuttle, Zadoc Allen.
1819. — Lyman Atwater, Hezekiah, Warner Esqr., AUan
Dickennan, Ambrose Tuttle, Samuel Chatterton.
1820. — ^Allen Dickerman, Joseph Gilbert Esqr., Elam
Warner, Enos Dickerman.
1021.— Elam Warner, Allen Potter, Jason Dickerman. .
1822. — Elam Warner, Jazon Dickerman, Allen Potter.
1823. — ^Arba Dickerman, Arba Bassett, Joel Ford Esqr.
1824. — Joel Ford, Arba Dickerman, Alfred Bassett.
1825. — Joel Ford, AKred Bassett, Arba Dickennan.
1820. — Alfred Bassett, Arba Dickennan, Joel Ford Esqr.
1827. — Elias Cooper, Elam Warner, Leverett Dickerman.
1828. — Allen Dickerman, Jesse Gilbert Junr., Eli Dicker-
man.
1829.— Jesse Gilbert Junr., Roderick Kimberly, Leveritt
Tuttle.
1830.— Roderick Kimberly, Jesse Gilbert Junr., Capt.
Leveritt Tuttle.
1831. — Leveritt Tuttle, David Bassett, Jesse Mansfield.
1832. — Jesse M. Mansfield, David Bassett, Sterling Brad-
ley.
HAMDBN OBNTBNABY.
1883.— David Baasett, Jesse M. Mansfield, Sterling Brad-
ley.
1884.— Sterling Bradley, James M. Ford, Lewis Heaton.
1836.— Lewis Heaton, James M. Ford, Loyal H. Todd.
1836.— Harvey Bradley, Horace Potter, Amos Peck Junr.
1837.— Amos Peck Jr., Albert G. Davis, Alfred Bassett.
1838.— Alfred Bassett, Jonathan Diokerman, David San-
derson.
1830.— Lewis Warner, Leveritt Tuttle, Jesse M. Mans-
field.
1840.— James M. Ford, Ezra Ailing 2d, Peter L. Van
Hanten.
1841.— Peter L. Van Hanten, Lewis Warner, Jesse Tnt-
tle Jr.
1843.— Lewis Warner, Jesse Tuttle Jr., Griswold I. Gil-
bert.
1843.— Griswold I. Gilbert, William B. Dickermari, Hor-
ace Potter.
1844. — Horace Potter, John G. Smith, Abial Leonard.
1845. — ^Abial Leonard, Harvey Bradley, Elihu Dicker-
man.
1846. — Harvey Bradley, Elihn Dickerman, Henry Mun-
son.
1847. — Henry Munson, Henry Tuttle, Elihu Dickerman.
1848. — Jesse M. Mansfield, Lucius Ives, Joel N. Churchill.
1849.— Rufus Dorman, Henry Tuttle, Albert Goodyear.
1850.— Rufus Dorman, Henry Tuttle, Albert Goodyear.
1851.— Griswold I. Gilbert, Eli Dickerman, Arba Dicker-
man.
1852.— Griswold I. Gilbert, Ezra AUing, Leveritt A.
Dickerman.
1853.— Griswold I. Gilbert, Ezra Ailing, Leveritt A.
Dickerman.
1854.— Griswold I. Gilbert, John G. Smith.
1855.— Griswold I. Gilbert, John G. Smith, Amos R.
Hough.
1856.— James M, Ford, Harvey Bradley, Russel S. Jacobs.
MtatOmbAL AifD bsaomPTDm. sil
.1857.^ariswolcl I. GUbert, Russel H. Cooper, EU B.
Smith.
1868. — ^Merit Ford, Jared Dickerman, Henry Tuttle.
1869.— Charles Brockett, Jabez T. Potter, Albert Good-
year.
I860.— Charles Brockett, James J. Webb, John H. Dick-
erman.
1861.— Charles Brockett, James J. Webb, John H. Dick-
erman.
1862.— Henry Munson,* Russel H. Cooper,* Philos Dick-
erman.
1863. — Lewis Warner, Philo Bradley, Birdsey A. Bradley.
1864. — ^Merrit Ford, Jesse Cooper, Philos Dickerman.
1866.— Norris B. Mix, Edwin W. Potter, Birdsey A.
Bradley.
1866.— Norris B. Mix, Edwin W. Potter.
1867.— Henry Tuttle, Samuel F. Potter, Bela Mann.
1868.— Merrit Ford, Charles P. Augur, Edwin B. Payne.
1869.— Henry Tuttle, Edwin W. Potter, Philos Dicker-
man.
1870.— Henry Tuttle, Edwin W. Potter, Philos Dicker-
man.
1871.— Henry Tuttle, Edwin W. Potter, Philos Dicker-
man.
1872. — Andrew J. Doolittle, Philos Dickerman, Henry
Tuttle.
1873.— Andrew J. Doolittle, Harry Prescott, Cecil A.
Burleigh.
1874. — Andrew J. Doolittle, Harry Prescott, Philos
Dickerman.
1876.— Andrew J. Doolittle, Edwin W. Potter, Philos
Dickerman.
1876.— Norris B. Mix, Edwin W. Potter, Andrew Mc-
Keon.
*'*At Mr. Munson's request he was excused and Charles Brockett Esq.,
chosen in his place. Mr. Cooper was also excused at his request, and Merit
Ford Esq., was chosen in his place."
1877.— Norris B. Mix, Edwin W. Potter, Cecil A. Bur-
leigh.
1878.— Norris B. Mix, Edwin W. Potter, Cecil A. Bur-
leigh.
1879.— Norris B. Mix, Edwin W. Potter, Charles P.
Augur.
1880.— C. P. Augur, W. W. Woodruff, Edwin W. Potter.
1881.— Charles P. Augur, Walter W. Woodruff, Edwin
W. Potter.
1882.— Edwin W. Potter, Bela A. Mann, Leveritt A.
Dickerman.
1888. — ^Leveritt A. Dickerman, Edward Davis, Edwin W.
Potter.
1884. — Leveritt A. Dickerman, Cecil A. Burleigh, Henry
W. Munson.
1886.— Charles P. Augur, Walter W. Woodruff, Thomas
Cannon.
1886. — John E. Andrews, William I. Munson, Thomas
Cannon.
1887.-r-John E. Andrews, William I. Munson, Thomas
Cannon.
LIST OP MEMBERS OP THE CONNECTICUT HOUSE
OP REPRESENTATIVES PROM THE TOWN
OP HAMDEN.
COUPILBD FOB THE HISTOBTf BY THE nOM". HXTBEBT B,
WABNEB.
1786 TO 1886.
Mr. Simeon Bristol, October Session, 1786 to October Ses-
sion, 1787.
Mr. John Hubbard, October Session 1787 to May Session,
1788.
Mr. Simeon Bristol, May Session, 1788 to October Ses-
sion, 1781.
maTORIGAL AND DE8GR1PTIVE,
Mr. John Hubbard, October Session, 1791 to May. Ses-
sion, 1792.
Mr. Simeon Bristol, May Session, 1792 to May Session,
1796.
Mr. Samuel Bellamy, May Session, 1795 to May Session,
1796.
Mr. Simeon Bristol, May Session, 1796 to October Ses-
sion, 1797.
Mr. Samuel Bellamy, October Session, 1797 to October
Session, 1798.
Mr. Josiah Root, October Session, 1798 to May Session,
1799.
Mr. John Hubbard, May Session, 1799 to October Ses-
sion, 1799.
Mr. Simeon Bristol, October Session, 1799 tp May Ses-
sion, 1800.
Mr. James Bassett, Jr., May Session, 1800 to May Ses-
sion, 1802.
Mr. Amasa Bradley, May Session, 1802 to October Ses-
sion, 1802.
Mr. James Bassett, October Session, 1802 to October Ses-
sion, 1803.
Mr. Medad Atwater, October Session, 1803 to October
Session, 1804.
Mr. Amasa Bradley, October Session, 1804 to May Ses-
sion, 1809.
Jesse Tuttle, May Session, 1809 to May Session, 1810.
Russell Pierpont, May Session, 1810 to May Session, 1811.
Amos Bradley, May Session, 1811 to October Session,
1811.
Amasa Bradley, October Session, 1811 to May Session,
1812.
Elam Bradley, May Session, 1812 to May Session, 1813.
Amasa Bradley, May Session, 1813 to October Session,
1814.
Joel Ford, October Session, 1814 to May Session, 1816,
42
880
UAMDBN OBNTBNART.
Amasa Bradley, May Session
, 1816 to October Session,
1818.
Russell Pierpont, October Session, 1818 to May Session,
1819.
Roger Dorman, May Session, 1819 to Session, 1820.
Joel Ford, .
. 1820 and 1821
Heze^ah I. Warner,
. 1822
Jared Bassett,
. 1823 and 1824
Ambrose Tattle,
1826 and 1826
Jared Bassett,
. 1827 and 1828
Alfred Bassett, . .
1829 and 1880
Jared Baasett,
. 1881 and 1832
Elam Warner, .
1833 and 1834
Alfred Bassett,
1836
Jared Bassett,
1886
James M[arcus] Ford,
. 1837 and 1838
Leverett Hitchcock,
1839
Leverett Tattle,
1840
Horace Potter, .
1841
Allen Dickerman,
1842
Loyal F. Todd, .
1843
Abial Leonard,
1844
Ezra Ailing 2d, .
1846
Horace Potter,
1846
Henry Manson, .
1847
Leverett Tattle,
1848
Lewis Warner,
1849
Abiel Leonard,
1860
Horace Potter,
1861
Eli B. Smith,
1862
RusseU H. Cooper,
1863
Henry Manson,
... . 1864
Loyal F.Todd, .
1866
Horace Potter,
1866
MerritFord,
1867
Henry Tattle,
1868
James M. Ford, . , .
1869 and 1860
HIBTORIOAL AND DBBOniPTlVB,
881
MerritFord,
1861
Eli B. Smith,
. . . 1862
Elias Wamer,
. 1863 and 1864
Andrew J, Doolittle,
1866
Henry Tuttle,
. • . 1866
Angus. Dickerman,
1867 and 1869
Gilbert L. Benham, .
. 1869 and 1870
Silas Benham,
1871
Philos Dickerman, .
1872
Jesse Cooper,
187^
Edwin W. Potter, .
1874
Riley R. Palmiter,
1876 and 1876
Andrew J. Doolittle,
1877
Norris B. Mix,
1878 and 1879
Cecil A. Burleigh, .
1880
Leveritt A. Dickerman, ,
1881
Bela A. Mann,
. 1882 and 1883
Frederick E. Tuttle,
1884
Henry W. Munson,
1886
Hubert E. Warner,
1886
INHABITANTS OF HAMDEN WHO HAVE BEEN MEMBEBS OF
THE OONNEOTIOUT SENATE.
Jared Bassett, .
Eleazer Wamer,
Griswold I. Gilbert,
Marcus Merriman Jr.,
Griswold I. Gilbert,
James J. Webb,
Henry Tuttle, . .
. 1833
1840
. 1843
1846 and 1847
. 1852
• 1863
. 1871
INDEX.
INDEX.
A.
Aaron, Doctor, inoculation for small-pox, 212
Act of Incorporation of Haniden, - - 18
Agriculture, by J. H. Dickerman, --.-.-- 88
Adjustable Carriage Poles, 167
Alms House, for town poor, proposed, 217
Altitude of points on W est Rock Range, 58
Ancient Order of Hibernians in procession, 5, 7; organization of, • 226
Allen, Miss Mary, m. A. Tuttlo, - - . - - - - 278
Ailing Abraham, Pastor of Church on Hamden Plain, 188, 184, 185,
200, 228— A. W.. of Bheniold Laboratory, silver in Mt. Oarmel
uatlvo comxjr, 70— Caleb, 181— Charles, 200 -Col. Edward, 200—
Edward, Esquire, 200— Eunice, 284— Ezra, 2d, 190— Jesse, 196—
Merritt, 196— family history, 227
Andrews' Farm, by Walliugford highway, 92— John E. & Son, Saw
Mill and Flour Mill, 169— Sybfi, 196— Timothy, 196— William,
petition of, 110
American Flag, . - . 8
American Rifles, at the Exhibition of 1851, 189
Amity Parish bounds, - 58
Anniversary of the adoption of the national flag, 85
Appropriation for celebration, 2
Arm chair, of Jonathan Ives, 267
Arnold, John, Col., Instructor in military tactics, 178
Area of the Town of Hamden, 66
Arrowheads of stone or flint, 60
Arbor Day, 76
Arctic regions and the United States flag, 88
Arctic firmament, beauty of, Kane, 88
Atlas, of New Haven Countyi 66 .
Atwater, name of, 16
Atwator, fund for insane poor, 220— G^eorffe, 220— Jared, tobacco
culture, 87— Capt. Samuel, 212— Samuel, "dark" of Mt. Oarmel
Parish, 176
Augur, Charles P., _- 6, 90, 192
Augers, etc., manufacture of. 149
Augerville, population of, - 222
Axle and Brass works, 152
Axle Works, Mt. Oarmel, 144
48
884 BAMDBN OBNTIINART.
B.
Doche, R. M., Topographical map of tho New Haven region, 60
Bacon, Miss liebecca, Superintendent New Lebanon Mission, - 199
Baldwin, Professor Simeon E., 8,9,86
Ballard, John, of Medfleld, 242
Barbadoes, old copper from, for bells, 151
Barber, enumeration of mills and manufactures, 112
Barnes, A. F., 162
Barton, William, on American Flag, 26— William, maker of sleigh-bells, 160
Bassett, name of, 16— Aunts Sally and Nabby, 284— Deacon Eaton, 190—
Deacon Ellas, 187, 190— Hezekiah, 288— James, 288, 234— James and
David, 286— Brothers James and Timothy, wounded hi fight at Ditch
Corner, 284— lion. Jnred, 288, 286— John, built tliu Old Biissutt House,
288— Lyman H., Sec'y Bolt Co., 167— Mrs. Mercy, 194— liobcrt, the
drummer, 229, 282— Samuel, 176. 288— Timothy, 284— William, an-
cestor of Hamden families, 288— family history, - - 228
Baxter, Thomas, arrested, 280— Author of Saints' Rest, hoped to enjoy the
Society of Hampden, 17
Bayonets, manufacture of, 110
Beacon Hill, earthworks at, 202
Beaver Ponds, 67
Beaver Ponds, mills at, Ill
Beech Spring entrance to Park, - - 108
Beers, Ellis andSoulo, Atlas of Now Haven Co., 60— Ini, gypsum mill,
169-Phil08, grist mill, 168
Bell Metal, for sleiffh bells, 161
Bell, Rebecca, m. Jonathan Tuttle, 277
Bells, manufacture of small, 160— Church, 151— Chimes, - • - 161
Bellamy, Aaron, 74— Samuel, house of, 224
Benedict, Truman, 162
Benham, Amos, 195, 196. 287— Isaac. 195. 196. 286— Jared. Supt. Methodist
Society Sunday School, 197, 287— John, 286— Joseph, 286— Luther. 237
—Ruth, 195. 196— William, 89-family history. - - - 280
Bible Classes. Whitneyville Church, 192
Birch Trees. 78
Bird, Rev. Samuel. 282— George, soldier in late war, ■ - - - 205
Bishop, F. F.. Sec'y and Supt. N. H. Ice Co., 164
Bishop Carriage Pole, 167
Blacksmith Shop, the Sperry. on Cheshire Road. 169
Blake, Elihu. 287. 277— Eli Whitney, 69, 189, 238. 289-Philos. 189, 287—
William and Agnes. 16, 80, 287— William Phlppa, 7. 8, 18— family of
in Hamden. 287
Blakeslee, Esther, 278
Blue Flag with crescent. South Ottrolina, 26
Blue, a favorite color with the Colonists, the color of tlie uniform of South
Carolina Troops, 27
Blue Hills of Mount Carmel, 58, 61, 71
Blunt's prolific (corn), 84
Boarding School for boys, Centerville, 172, 174
Bolt Company, Mt. Carmel, ... - 157
Bones, ground for fertilizers. 168
Bounds of the Parish of Mt. Carmel. 51,52
Boundary lines of town perambulated by Selectmen, - - - . 64
Borer in peach trees, preventive of, 89
Boriuff tools, augers, gimlets, etc., 144
Bowlders in the glacial drift, 64, 66— bowlder formation, ... 66
INDEX.
Bradley, name of, 10— Mr. Amarni, Lay-reader at Grace Cliurdi, 192 — Capt
Amasa, 241— Cliloe, 244— Mrs. Cynthia, 104— Daniel, memorial of, 176
— Moderator, 176— Daniel, Israel Speriy and Joel Munson, 51 — George,
161— G. W., Prize Corn at Paris, 1878. 84— Ezra, Grace Church, 192
— Mr. Levi, 194 — Nehemlah, 151 — Capt. Phineas, manufacturer of
buttons, 111 — R. B. & Co., agricultural implements. 6 — Mr. Stirling,
194— Wallace H., Secretary Whitney Arms Co.. 148— William, milk
farm. 89— family history, 240
Braid, webbing, etc., 147
Bras9, Works, Mt Carmel, 148, 152 — mountings for carriages and harness,
149— made from old W. I. copper, 161— castings for carriage goods,
160— hub bands, 150
Breech loading and magazine rifles, 142
Brewster, Rev. Joseph, 194— James, 98
Brick clay, 68— Of North Haven and Hamden, 168— Brick industry of the
Quinnipiac Valley, 1836. 163— bricks and brick manufacture in Ham-
den and vicinity, 162— Brick yards, amount of wood consumed by, • 77
Bridges and Highways, 15, 210
Bristol, name of, 16— Simeon, and Bristol Family, 16, 16, 241— Family
record of, 242
British invasion of New Haven, 284, 248
Brockett, Hon. Chas., . - - 261
Broomhead, Benjamin, land for parsonage, 196
Brownell, Rt. Rev. Bishop, 198
Brown, Frederick, 197, 198
Bronze or brass pan for musket, - - - 188
Brooks, W. Enos, wills his farm to the town, 2t9— Mrs. Rozana, - 219
Buckingham, Gideon, 16
Building stone, 69
Bush, Ilenry. casting bolls, 161
Butter, cream and milk, 89
Buttons, manufacture of, Ill
0.
Cadets, New Haven, 264
Calico printing in 1780, 110
Canaan, Conn., iron from, for Whitney ville, 292
Canal Company, 96— Canal, New Haven & Northampton, - - - 144
(Jandeo rublwr fiustory, 144, 146
Camloo, Lucy Ann, of Oxford, Ct., • -268
Catholic communicants and residents, 199
Cattle, value of, in 1818, 83— Cattle, horses and sheep, brands for, - 207
Cartridge boxes, proposed manufacture of, 121
Carriage axles, manufacture of, 146— Carriage axle business, 269— Car-
riage axles imported, 269— Manufacture of, by machinery, 259—
Carriage hardware, 148— Carriage pole works at Mt. Carmel, 157 —
C{vrriage springs, 164, 264— Carriage springs. Mix's, excellence of,
156— (carriage and coach springs m^e in Hamden, Mt. Carmel, - 112
Centennial Committee appointed, 1
Centennial hymn, 8, 20
Centorville Brass Band, ... - 6, 7
Centerville, charter for water works, 104— population, - - - - 222
Centers of population, 221, 222
Channel, ancient river, 60, 67
Chandler, Joshua, a son of , 284
Charcoal for iron works at Saltonstall lake, 110
886 BAMDEN OBNTSNART,
Charleville, French, pattern of Muskets, 296
Charles, Last Sachem of the Mohicans of the Region of New Haven, 49
Ohatterton, Daniel and family, 242
Cherry and mulberry trees, 90
Cherry Hill Ridge, 67-- Cherry Hill, 264— old house at, ... 277
Cheshire Road, 91, 94— Cheshire Mine, Shipments from, 74— Cheshire
Turnpike Company, 94, 96, 278
Chestnut wood, 78— Chestnut wood for burning brick, - . - - 168
Chief Marshal, Centennial Celebration, 6
Chime bells, 161
Choristers of Whitneyyille Church, 192
Church bells, 151
Church of Christ, Whitneyville, 178,192
Church, William, noach trees, 88
City Bank of New llaven, 96
Clams, oysters, fish, - . 15
Clark, H. D., Patent for covering thread with silk, 159— R. 8., silk
manufacture, 159— R. 8., on manufacture of small bells, 160— Rev.
Peter Q., - • 198
Clarke Captain Thomas, Master of Iron Works, 110
Clay and sand deposits, ^ . . . . 68
Clay pits for brick clay, 162
Cleaveland Dr., on Gov. Gilbert lot, 247— Elias of New York, leases of
mineral land, 72
Cloth Mills, , . . . - 84
Coal for bumlne brick. 108— Coal for the Brass Company, 152— Coal and
wood supplied at Mt. Carmel, 169
Coe, Ward, New Haven Web Co., 146, 148
Coinage of copper cents at the New Haven Mint, 70
Coit Rev. Gurdon S., 193
Colburn Geo. D., brass castings, 160
Commemorative Exercises, 6
Committee to draft a plan of celebration, 1
Conference Statistical Report, Methodist Society, 197
Conglomerates, sandstones and shales, 03, 64
Connecticut Valley, - - - 9, 18, 57
Connecticut Volunteers in War of Rebellion, 202, 206— Connecticut Stan-
dard Colors, 1775, 24
Constables of Hamden in 1786. 208
Constitution for State of Connecticut, 215
Contact of trap and sandstone, '64
Contributions for religious and benevolent objects, - - - - 191
Constitutional convention, vote for delegate, 211
Continental Troops at Prospect Hill, 24— Continental Congress, declara-
tion of, 24
Contract for making rifles, 140— Contract of Mr. Whitney to make mus-
kets for the United States. 124. 125, 126
Cooper, name of, 16— Ellsworth B., Secretary of Executive Committee. 2—
On Taxation and Land Records, 318— D. H., factory at Ives', 145—
Russell H., 194— Thankful. 256— Place, 257
Copper Native, 69, 70, 72— from West Indies, 151— coins struck in New
Haven, , . . . . no
Comwallls, Lord, surrender of at Yorktown, 29
Corn, cultivation of by the hoi-se-hoe. 165— corn planting and harvesting,
84 — corn and corn meal, 83
Cornwall, Rev. Asa, 193
Cotton Mill at Westville in 1789, 110— Cotton Gin, the invention of by
INDWX, 887
Whitney, 113— cotton gin, model of, 5, 18 — cotton cleaning by
slaves in Georgia, 285— cotton production of United States, 119, 120
Coulter harrow, Shares, 86, 166
Covered truss bridge built by Ithiel Town. 108
Crafts, Captains. F., brick making. 162,168
Crane, Dr., house of, near the site of Hezekiah Sabin's house, - - 61
Cream separated by the centrifugal process, 89
Cromwell, prevented from sailing for America, 16
Crowley. Rev. Father John, 199— Orrin, tobacco culture, - - - 87
Cultivators for crops, 86— cultivation of forest trees, - . - - 79
D.
Daddy Barton, maker of sleigh bells, - - 160 .
Dairy products, * 89
Dam at Whitney villo, 100
Dana, Rev. James, 177— Prof. James D., height of terrace plain, 69—
Prof. James D., floods from melting glaciers. .... 67
Davis, Col. Jefferson, on Whitney Rifles, - 141
Davis's Hill, home of Ebenezer Ailing, 228, 279
Dayspring Lodge, P. and A. M., 169, 224
Deacons of Mt. Carmel Church Society, 177
Debts of New Haven, Hamden's share, 14
Decarbonized steel, 140
Delegates to Ecclesiastical Council. 179
Dele van. Rev. George E., 187
Derby dam, vibration by overflow, 102
Dickcrman, Doacon Eli, 100— Miss E. E., of Loan Exhibition Committee,
40— J. H., of Mt. Carmel, 70— Forest Trees. 75— Tobacco Culture,
87— Samuel, 16, 176— Thomas, of Mr. Mather's Company from Eng-
land, 242— William, tolMicco crop, 87— Rev. Qoorgo A., 178— Miss
Julia, 257— Miss Mary Ailing. 278— family, .... 24^245
Dignifled Seats at Mt. Carmel meeting-house, 176
Ditch Corner, engagement at the, 284
Division of labor in gun-making, 187
Dixwell Avenue, 91
Dix, General, famous order respecting American flag, • • - - 82
Dogs, keeping of legalized, under tax, 86
Donations ana bequests for church pur|)0808, 194
Doolittle, A. J.. 169
Dorman, Ezekiel, Edmund and Lyman, 201 — Rufus, 196— Rebecca, - 196
Durham circuit, 195
Dutch, Expeditions against, - - 229
Drakes of Ashe, England, ' - - 246
Drea, Rev. Father Thomas, 198
Drift deposits of glacial origin, 64, 65
Drummers not employed by manufacturers at Mt. Carmel, - - • 168
Dry Kiln for meal at Mt. Carmel, 1818, 84
D wight. Dr., Statistical Account quoted, 69— Letter from in 1801, - 289
E.
East Farms highway, 211
East Hampton, manufacture of sleigh bells at, 161
East Haven, 18
HAMDEN OaNTENART.
East Rock Rani^e, altitude of, 68— East Rock Park. .... 105
East River, 14
East Plain Society of Hamden, 178
Eaton, family history, - - 256
Ecclesiastical History, 176— Ecclesiastical Oouncil, 1796. • - - 179
Education, District Schools, 170-172— advantages of Ilamden, 0, 18, 24
Edwards, Ex-Governor, Trustee of Whitney estate, - 189
Edwards, Mrs. Jonathan, drowned in Sabine's mill pond, - - - 112
Elamlves, 257
Elevations along Mill River, 69— of East Rock, West Rock and Mt Oarmel, 68
Eliot, Doctor Joseph, small-poz hospital, 212
Elliptic and thoroughbrace carriage springs, 164
Ellsworth at Alexandria, 32
Embroidery silk, 169
Eratic blocks, . . . ♦ 67
Everest, Rev. Clias. W., 172, 174. 193
Everest, Rev. H.L., Rector Grace Church, 192,194
Estravs, appraisal and sale of, 212
Exhibition of objects in the Loan Exhibition, 46
Executive Committee, 3
Extent and boundaries of the Town of Hamden, 51
p.
Pair Haven Church, 178
Family History Notices, 227
Farmington Canal Company. 96, 216— Farmington Road, - - - 91, 92
Farnam Drive, and views from, 60
Famam, Henry, engineer of Farmington Canal, 95, 96
Fay, Miss Elizabeth, 281
Fence Viewers, 1786, 208
Fertilizers, 85, 86
Fire Arms for the United States in 1798, 120
Fires In woodlands, injury done by, 81
First Church of New Haven, Now Lebanon Mission of, ■ - - 199
Fish, Oysters, Clams, reservation of the privilege of taking, 15 — Fish
oil, menhaden, 86
Fitch, Rev. Henry, Grace Church, 198
Flag of Our Union, an Address by Hon. N. D. Sperry, 28— Flag Un-
furled by General Putnam, 24, 26, 86 — flag for the American Navy, 26
Flint Lock Muskets, 189
Flour mill and saw mill, 169
Ford, name of, 16— Jool, Moderator of Town Meeting, 217 — Deacon Ly-
man, 185. 189, 190— Moses, received into the Church, 181, ISO-
Stephen, Captain, 200— family history, 245, 246
Forbes *& Adam, of Canaan, contract to supply iron, . - . . 292
Forest Trees, notice of by J. H. Dickerman, 75— list of in Hamden, - 81
Forest Fires, destruction of trees by, - ----- - 81
Fox, Rev. Father Patrick, 199
Free Speech. Robert Bassett an advocate of, 229
Freemen of Town of Hamden. List of, 318
Freighting to Boston by teams, 44, 93— Freighting, exclusive grant of, 93
Fruit, 87
Frost, Joseph, pastor Methodist Society, 197
Fulton Robert, letters from, 802, 805
INDEX.
G.
Garden Implements, 158
Garfield, Rev. John W., 198;
Gaston, Mr. N. H.. 151
Gateof the Two Towns, entrance to Park, 107,108
" Geese or geese kind," Ordinance respecting, 214
Genealogical and biographical notices, 227
General Assembly of Connecticut, 16
Geology, sketch of the, 68
Georgia, State of, Infringement of cotton gin patent by the people of, 115
"Giant's Kettle ''near Day's store, 68
Gilbert, name of, 16— Daniel, 248— Miss Eunice, 278— Griswold I., dairy,
89— Mr. Gibbs, 181— Capt. John, of Hamden, 28— Capt. John, killed
by the British, 248 — insciiption on monument to, 249— Moses and
Joseph, Corporals 14th Company, 200— Deputy Governor Mathew,
247— Moses, 16— Sir Humphrey, 246— Capt. llaleigh, of Plymouth
Company, 246— family history, - 246-240
Gill is, John, Lieutenant Seventeenth Company, 200
Gimlets and other boring tools, 144
Glaciation of the New Haven Region, 57, 65 — of Mt. Carmel Range, 66—
of Mill Rock, 66— Glacial Scratches, 66— Glacial Drift Deposits, 64—
Glacial Era, Ice Sheet, 57
GolTe, William, the regicide, supposed grave of, 248
Goodyear, name of, 16— Andrew, 176 — Asa, 16 — Charles, vulcanization
of Rubber, 262— Stephen, iron works in 1666, 109— Watson A., 261—
William B., 251— lot at Centerville, 86— family histor}% - 249-255
Gorham, Julius, peaches on farm of, 88
Gormlcy, Mr., owner of old John Bassett farm, 235
Governor Harrison. 7, 8, 21
Granby Mines, 78
Grace Church (Protestant Episcopal) at Centerville, - - 172, 192, 194
Grafton, Mass.. school taught there by Eli Whitney, . • - - 283
Grand Jurors of Hamden 1786, 208 — ^grand list of Hamden, amount of, 315
Granniss, J. A., 153— Granniss& Russell, carriage poles, - - • 157
Grant of Land to Connecticut Colony, 50
Grapes, 87
Gregory, Eliphalet, house of 225
Greene, Widow of General, .285
Green Seed cotton, 287,288
Grist mill and saw mill, 169
Ground moraine, 65, 66
Grinnell Flag of the Antarctic, 88
Gun Barrels, 140
Gypsum MiU, 168
H.
Hall Andrew, 151— Benjamin, 176— Wm. D., Oil from menhaden fish, 86
•• Hamburg," so called, 221— population of, - 222
Hamden, Hambden or Hampden, orthograhpy of, 17— Hamden incorpor-
ated in 1786, 13— Hamden, name of naval vessel, 16— Hamden, the
birthplace of many important manufactures, 19— Hamden Ridge en-
trance to Park, 107— Hamden Plain, 69, 67— Hamden Plain Church
building, 1796, 182
Hamden East Plain Society, ■ 178, 192
840 HAMDtUr OBNTSNART.
Hampden John, .16
Hampden, Baxter's admiration of, 17
Hampshire and Hampden Canal Company, 69
Hamilton, Gen. Schuyler's History of the National Flag, - • - 25
Hanpock John, secures the flag from Uie Brig Nancy under fire, • 28
Hanging Hills of Meriden, blocks from, 67
Hardware, manufacture of, in Hamden, 146
Hardware, for carriages, 148
Harness hardware, 145
Harness trimmings, 149
Harpers' Ferry rifle, 140
Hartford and New Haven Turnpike, 92, 98
Hartford Turnpike and Cheshire Turnpike, 215
Hartford and Sprinfffleld Consolidatod Rooil, 98
Hart, liev. Father Matthew, 198— Deacon, property for Rectory School, 172
Harrow, coulter for cultivuting crops, 167
Harrison, Nathaniel, 175
Haugh, John 8., 197
Hay. 84, 87
Hayes, Samuel J., Treasurer Bolt Co., 117
Haywards, their duty, 217
Heaton, (Eaton) Family, 256
Henry, John T., 194— John T., pruning shears, 158
Hendrick, Miss Maria, of New Haven, 264
Height of East and West Rock, 58
Hibernians, Ancient Order of, 226
Hickory Wood, 78,80
Higgins, Rev. L. H., Mt. Carmel Church and Society, - - - 175
Highway, prepared by Deacon Stephen Goodyear, - - - - 214
Highways, division of into disti'icts, - - - - - 210
Hillhouae, James, Superintendent Farmington Canal, - - - 95
History of Hamden, authorized by the Town, 17
Hitchcock, name of, - - -. - 16
Hoeing crops, bv Shares' patent horse hoe, 164
Holstem cows, for milk, 89
Home Rule, 87, 40— Government by the people in Connecticut towns, 21,
22 — Home Missionary Society, - 191
Horses and Cattle, 88, 85
Horse Hoeing and Planting Machines, 164
Hotchkiss, Mr. Henry L., President L. Candee Co., 144, 147, 148— Mr.
Frank E., copies of inscriptions, 254 — Justus S., Superintendent New
Lebanon Mission, 199
Hubbard John, 14, 16— Professor O. P. on Chas. Goodyear, - * 252
Hub Bands, 150
Hunt's Mills, formerly on Mill River, 259
Hurd, Davis, Chief Engineer Farmington Canal, .... 95
Ice, Wagons in procession, 6, 7— Company of New Haven, 1^4— crop of
Hamden, 164
Impoundinghorses and cattle, 216, 216
Insane poor, provided for by Atwater fund, . . . - . 270
Incorporation of Town of Ilamden, 18
Indian Head, East Rock Park, 108
Indian wars, 200
INDEX. 841
Indemnity bond to the United States, Whitney's, 297
Ingham, Abigail, 278
Interchangeable or uniformity system, • - - 18, 129, 180, 186, 189
Interchangeability of parts of muskets, 296
Invasion of New Haven, by the British, 28
Invited guests of celebration, - 8
Iron Works of Saltonstall Lake, 109— Iron Ore, from North Haven, in
1055, 109— Iron lap welded gun barrels, 140 — Iron carriage axles, 145
— Iron from Canaan. Conn., for muskets, - - - - 292
Ives, name of, 10— Fomily History, 250, 201— Elani, 144. 148— Elam, Fam-
ily of, 267— establishes a freight line, 10, 25y— Klam (2). pioneer in
manufacture of carriage hardware at Mt. Cyarmcl, 258 — £., Jr., suc-
cess as musician, 201— Billot E., director of orclicstra, 0— Frederick,
200— Hjirry, carriage axles, 201— James, farm, 52, 58 — James, 105.
144. 151. 152, 158. 157, 158— James, contributions to the History, 258
—Lucius, 83, 92, 152— Parsons, 198— Rev. Reuben, 198— Henry and
Mount Carmel Axle Works, 259— William J., use of lot for tlie cele-
bration, 5 — Mr., of Mt. Carmel, remarks by. 44— W. A. ^ Co., borinff
Tools, 6, 144
Ives & Granniss, 158
Ives & Miller, 260
Ives, Woodruflf&Co., 168
Ives. Pardee, Mfg. Co., 162
Ives Carriage Pole, 159
Ives's Station, elevation above tide, 62
Ivesville, population of, - - - • 22
J.
Jersey Prison Ship, imprisonment of Oapt. Mix in, .... 204
Jefferson, Thomas, Secretary of State, letter to Ell Whitney, 118— Thomas,
signature to carriage spring Patent, 154, 155— Davis, Col. of Missis-
sippi Rciriment, . . - 140, 141
Johnson, Judge, of U. S. Court In Georgia, decision in cotton gin suit,
116, 119— Charles L., Secretary L. Candee Co., - - - - 144
Joel Ford, Esq., Agent of Town, 216
Judd, Orange, sweepstake premium for pumpkins, .... 86
Judge's Cave, bowlders, 67
K.
Kane, Doctor, in the arctic seas, under the American flag, - - - 88
Kegs for hardware, 167
Key's Star Spangled Banner, 80,81
Klmberly's Mills, 260
King, Winifred, m. Joseph Benham, 286— Wm., Supt. at Cheshke Mine, 74
L.
LandrecordsofHamden, short account of. Cooper, - - - - 315
Labor, division of, in making arms, 187— labor league, - - - 149
LaidleyGun, 148
Leather Sealers of the town, 1786, 208— Leather stamping, - - - 212
Leavenworth, Joseph N., 146
Legislature, representatives in from Hamden. 828
Legends of the Blue HiUs, - • 61
44
842 HAMDEN OBNTENART.
Leek, Family History, 26»— Russell, built smith shop, • - - 169
Leicester Academy, 288
Leonard, Mr., Chaplain to General Putnam, 24
Lexington, battle of, 25
Lenfi^h and breadth of Ilamden, 60
Lexington, Mass., march toby Jonathan Mix, 264
Lightning, protection from, by trees, 78
Listers of Hamden, 1786, 208
Live Stock in early times, marks or brands for, 207
Loan Exhibition, 6,42.44,46
Locusts, the injunr to trees by, 80
Long Island visible over East Hock from Mt. Oarmel, • -68
Looms for weaving webbing, - - - 146, 147
Long liane, part of Cliosliiro Itoml, 01
Looms, Warpers, Spoolers, etc., 147
Loveloy, T. A., 107
Luncheon, day of Celebration. 6
M.
Machinery in Armory, 142 — ^machine work for small arms, 294— in
making firearms, 138, 134 — macliines and madiiiie tools, - - 121
Macaulay on Hampden, 17— Macaulay on Eli Whitney, - - - 806
MacMulIen, David, pastor Methodist Society. 197
MacMullon, David, address by, 89
Magazine Itiile, now form by VVhitnoy, 143
Maher, Patrick, President Ancient Order of Hibernians, - - - 226
Mainsprings for carriages, 154
Mains, Rev. George P., 197,198
Malleable iron castings, Malleable Iron Works, 152
Mallon, Rev. Father Hugh, 8, 40. 199
Mann, Bela A., 146, 148, 194
Manufacturing Enterprises of north part of the town, - - - 19
Mansfield, name of. 16— Jesse M., 194
Manderville, Capt. Thomas, mukcs an Amciican flag, . . - - 27
Manufacturiujo; Industi-v, - - - - , 109
Maps of the Town of Ilumdcn, 56
Mass, celebration of, at St. Mary's, - - 199
Massachusetts Colonial Army, 25
Masonic Lodge, Dayspring. 224
Mauberge Muskets, 296
Mather Family, note on the, 268
McAUan, Rev. Father, - - - - 198
McCartey, Thomas, 191
McLane, Edward P., 157
Mealinl825fromMt.Carmel to New Haven, 88
Meeting House, first one at Mt. Carmel, 176
Memorial of inhabitants of the Pariah of Mt. Carmel, . - • - 14
Memorial of Daniel Bradly and others, 175
Memorial to congress by Eli Whitney, 287
Menhaden fish oil, first made in Hamden, .-...- 86
Merrick & Towne turbine wheels, .....-- 14
Metamorphosed sandstone, 68, 64
Methodism, Hamden, by Rev. David MacMuUen, 194— Methodist Church
edifice built, 196
Mexican War, Hamden's quota of men, 19— Mexican War, American flag
in the, 81— Mexican War, rifles from Whitney ville used, - - 140
INDEX. 848
Midrtlcbrook, Grace, m. Christopher Todd, - - - - - - 276
Military aud sporting arms made with steel barrels, 141— Militia, Second
Regiment of, 14— Military Company, Seventeenth, - - 14, 200
Mill Rock, Whitneyville, - 68, 69
Mill River, 67, 59, 60— utilization of power along. 111— water supply, 09—
height of successive mill sites, 112— boundary line, - - - 64
Mill for grinding gypsum, 168
Miller, Phineas, partner of Eli Whitney, 113, 285— WilUs E., patent axle, 260
Millerite controversy in 1848, 196
Milling machines In making arms, 188, 189
MiliUiry histor^r of Town, 200
Milk Wagons in procession, 6, 7— Milk for city supply. - - 86, 89
Mimmack, George Henry, 191
Mining in Hamden, histoiy of, by J. H. Dickerman, - - - - 71
Mineral Deposits, 69
Mitchell, Donald G., extracts from his description of East Rock Park, 106
Mix, name of, 16— Family History, 263 — Hon. Norris Bennett, sendees
of, 204— Capt. Jonathan, inventor of carriage springs, 154— Capt.
Jonathan, military and naval service of, 264— Mrs. Jonathan, sab-
batli school commenced by, 180— Miss Adeline N. , daughter of Capt.
Jonathan Mix, 287, 238, 277— Captain, house on Hamden Plain, 182
—John, Jr., cotton printing and buttons, 111 — Thomas, 201 — main
axletree springs, 166
Model of the Cotton Gin, 6, 18
Mohegan, Indian Nation, 49
Momauguin, Sachem of Quinnipiac, 49
Montowese, Sachem of Mattabeseck, 49
Moraine, ground, deposits on Mill Riock, ....... 66
Moms Multicaulis, 90
Motto of Connecticut, • • - - 24, 26
Mount Carmel Society, 14, 175— Axle Works, 144— Bolt Co., 167— Brass
Works, 148— Axle Works, 148— Screw Works, 158— Water Co., - 104
Mt. Tom Range, possible source of some of the erratic blocks of Hamden. 67
Mulberry Grove, Georgia, 286
Mulberry Trees, 90
Munson, name of, 16 — Capt. John, srant of exclusive freighting, 98 —
Clifford, Superintendent Methodist Society Sunday School, 197 —
Charles, prospecting for copper in Hamden, 98
Music, vocal, 6
Muskets, manufacture of, in Hamden, 120 — difHculty of making, 182 —
made in England, 120, 132— Whitney's memoir on making, 181— manu-
facture of, 294
Musket Locks, difficult to make, 296
Muster Roll of Seventeenth Company, 200
N.
Nancy, the brig chartered by the Continental Congress, - - - 27
Nash, Mary, 227
National Water Wheel Co.'s wheel, 142
National Flag, 24
Navy, American, flag for, 26— naval expedition, first United States, - 264
Neat Cattle, restrained from going at large, 217
Needle Factory, removed to Ohio, - - - - . - - 169
New Britain, sleigh-bells, made at, 161
Newfoundland, attempt to found colony in, 246
844 HAMDRN OiCNTBNARr,
New Haven Colony, 13
New Haven and Northampton Company, 96, 98— New Haven and North-
ampton track, removal of, 264
New Haven and Hamden Valley, origin of, 67
New Haven Web Company, 146, 147— New Haven Water Co., 99— New
Haven Ice Company, 164
New York and New Haven Railroad, 99
New Lebanon Mission, 199
New Red sandstone formation, 68
Newton, Roger; Capt. Moses Hawkins and Mr. EnoB Brooks, a commit-
tee, etc., 66
Nichols, William H.. of Bast Hampton, 161
North Haven, 18— brick clay. 168— brick, 162, 168— settlement at, 277—
Xrish. 53,175
Carolina, contract for use of cotton gin. 116— legislature di8|)oso4l to
give consideration for (he use of the cotton gin, .... 289
Norton. Gen. C. B., work upon American arms, 142
Northampton, trip to, by canal, .-.---.- 98
Northrop George, crop of peaches, 88
Nuts, cold pressiBd and swedged, 167
o.
O'Brien, Miss Eliza.. 240— Rev. Father, 198
Officers of the Town at the First Election; 208
OldBassett, 229
Old Fields, growth of forest trees on, 75
Oliver Wolcott, letter from respecting fire arms, - - - . 127, 298
Olmsted, Prof. Dennison, Memoir of Eli Whitney, extracts from, 122. 128
Opening Address, 13— Opening Prayer, 11
Orange trees, shears for pruning, 169
Orchestra. 6
Order of Exercises, 9
Osborn, Allen D., Supt. Mount Carmel Bolt Co.. ... - 151
Ox-teams and wagous between New York and Boston, .... 19
Oysters, clams and fish, reservation of right to take, .... 15
p.
Paper Boxes made at Mt. Carmel. 157
Pardee, B.B., 152— Stephen D.. 152
Parish of Mt. Carmel, - - 51, 62, 54, 175, 176
Park, East Rock, 105,108
Parsonage, Methodist Society, 196— Pastors of Methodist Society, list of, 197
Patent for carriage springs, 154, 155
Patent Law. observations on by Eli Whitney, . . . . 287, 288
Paul Jones, the first to use our national flag, 29
Payne, Deacon J. M., 8, 20— James M., 192
Peaches and peach culture, 88
Peck. Hiel, house of, 15
Peckham, George, house of, 14— Peckham place, 51
Peddler's wagons, 145
Percival, J. G., native copper at Mt. Carmel, 74
Percussion lock rifles first made, ........ 141
Perry, Samuel, ice business, 1Q4
INDEX, 845
Pliipps, Capt. Solomon, from Maine, 264. 276— Mary Elizabeth, - - 276
Pliysfcian inviUxl to settle in tlie town, 216
Picturesque scenery of liamden, 60
Pierce, E. S., and James Ives, screw works, - 168
Pinckney, Hon. Cliarles Colesworth, at Charleston, . . - - 289
Pine Rock, - - 57. 59, 60
Pine Swamp. . . . . 60
Pipe Clay in Valley of Wilmot Brook. 68
Plains and East Farms Highway, 211
Plains of Hamden, road or way to in 1641, 91
Plainville, canal opened to, 97
Plan for the Celebration, committee appointed, 1, 2
Planting Machines, 164
Plaster Mill at Centerville, , - - . 168
Polar Seas and the United States Flag, 88
Poor of New Haven and Hamden, 86--Poor of the Town, 218, 220— sup-
port of in 1796, 218
Potatoes, 84
Pot Holes along Mill River, 67,68
Population of Hamden diHused, 48, 44— of the Town, 221— distribution of, 221
Potomac, Army of, Hamden soldiers in, 206
Potter, Betsy, 268— Rev. Mr., at Grace Church, 198
Pound-keeper's fees, 216
Powell, C. W., 196, 198
Procession, Day of Celebration, 6, 7, 9
Proprietors' Records, ^m
Prospect Hill, 24
Provincial Congress, quotation from the address of, - - - - 25
Presidential Electors, vote for, 1824, 216
Pruning Slioars, tlolin T. Henry, 158
Public Armories of U.S., 180
Public Schools, attendance and cost, - - - - - - 172
Public Works of Hamden, 01
Pumpkins, some, 86
Purchase of the Land of New Haven and Adjoining Towns in 1688, - 49
Putnam General, Red Flag at Bunker Hill, 86— Rev. Austin, 6, 8, 11—
Rev. Austin Installed as Pastor of the Hamden East Plain Society.
188— Rev. Austin, selections from historical discourse of, • - 178
Q.
Queen's Arms, old muskets, 200
Quinn, Major James, Instructor in Military Tactics, .... 173
Quinnipiac, 13— valley, 67— river, Water, supply of, 9^— Brick, 168—
Indians, 49— Entrance to Park, 105 — Company, - . - - - 80
R.
Railroads in Hamden, 98, 90
Railroad Car trimmings, 151
Read Geo. F. H., 151
Rebellion, Hamden's Sons in the War of. 19, 202
Records of Town, First Volume— short account of the, - - - 207
Rectory School, Everest's, 178, 174, 194
Red Rock of the Hamden Hills, 68
346 HAMDBN OBIfTBNART,
I
Reform Bill of 1882 and parliamentary suffrage, 87
[Register, New Haven, extracts from tbe account of celebration, -
iteniington Qun, 148
Representatives, one allowed Hamden, 15 —in Connecticut legislature from
Hamden, 828
Reservoir of Water Coropanv, 09
lievolution, Hamden's part in the, - • 19, 28
lievolutionarv War, arms used in the, 185
liichardson, Lemuel, pastor of Methodist Society, 196
Ridge HiU, mines on, 70
Rifles, American, at the ExhibiUon 1851, 189
River Drift— Terrace Formation, 67
Rivington's Press, destruction of, 264
Roads and Bridges, maintenance of, 219
Itoaring Brook, 260
Robertson. Hon. A. Heaton, 8, 44— Frederick, quoted by Mr. Willard, 274
Rock Breaker, invention of the, by Eli W. Blake, - - - - 288
Root, Joslah, Agent of Town to oppose Turnpike, .... 94
Roes, Elizabeth, of Philadelphia, makes an American Flag, 28— Col.
Gleorge, 28
Rouse, Rev. John n.,Qrace Church, 198
Royal Cliarter of 1662, ... 60
Rubber Qoo(hi factory at Contorvillc, 144— Thread for Webbing, - 147
Rubber, hard, by Qoodyear. r - 262
Russell, Col. Edward, 16
Rye and other grain, 88
S.
Sabbath Day Houses formerly at Mt. Carmel, - - 176
Sabbath School. East Plain Society, 277
Sabbath School, established at Whitneyville, .... IRO, 102
Sabin, Elezekiah, house of, ^ . . 14
Sabine's Mill Pond, 112
Sainf s Rest. Baxter's Admiration of Hampden, 17
Saltonstall Lake Iron Works, 109
Sandstone Hills of Hamden, 58
Sand and day deposits, . . . .• 68
Saw Mill and Flour Mill at Mt. Carmel, 169
Saybrook Circuit, 195
Scenery of Hamden, 60
Schools in Hamden, 170— laws, selections from, 171— Board, Report of,
171— For Boys, Everest's, - 178
Screw Works, Mt. Carmel, 158
Scythes, manufacture of, 110
Sears, Capt. Joshua, 264— Anna, Sister of Capt. Joshua Sears, 264
Seaman, Henry, of New York', 152
Secession, opposition to, 212
Selectmen, first year of incorporation, 16— of Hamden, list of, 828—
of New Haven. 7
Self Government, 87
Senate of Connecticut, members from Hamden, 881
Seventeenth Military Company, 14, 51, 200
Siemens, Martin, steel for gun barrels. ... - 141
Sign Post, 15
INDEX. 847
Silk Society, Connecticut, 111— Silk Worms. 90— Silk Manufacture, li. S.
Clark & Co., 150— Silk goods, value of made in U. S., - - - 159
Silver, native, in Mt. Carmel Copper, 70
Shares, D. W., patentee of horse-hoes and cultivators, 80, 104— H. P.,
brick industry, 102
Shears, Pruning, John T. Henry, 158
Sheep, 85
Sheep Shears, - - - - 158
Sheet brass sleigh-bells, 101
Shepherd's Brook, 57— Shepherd's PUdn, 02
Sheridan, Kev. Father John, 198
Slaves in Georgia, picking seeds from cotton, 285
Sleeping Giant, elevation of, 58— poem by Merriman, - - - - 01
Sleigh-Bells and other small bells, 100— struck out of sheet brass, - 101
Slope of Plain alon^ Mill liiver, .... ... 50
Small-pox, inoculation for. 212
Smith. William T., Military History of, Hamden. 200— Wm. H., of New
Britain, 150— John G., Major of Militia. 270— General S. R., 270—
Sheldon, the founder of Birmingham, Ct., 150— J. E. «& 8. D.,
needles, 109
Societies, 224
Sodom Hill, Charles Goodycar's laboratory at, 253
Soil, varieties of, 00
Soldiers killed at defence of New Haven, 201— In war of 1812, 201, 202—
in last war, 202, 205— monument on East Rock, .... 58
Sounding Board at Mt. Carmel Meeting House, 170
South Carolina, blue flag, 25— flag presented to, 20— purchase of right to
use cotton gin, 115
Southington, St. Thomas' Church, 198
Sporry, Hon. N. D., Address on the Flag of Our Union, 28— Blihu, black-
smith shop, 109
Sporting Rifles, at Whitney Annory, 142
Springfield, Government Armory, 188— Water Works and Armory in
1792, 93,290
Springs for carriages, invention of, 154
Squire Bassett, • - - - 230
St. Etienne muskets, 290
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, - 198
Stamford, Robert Bassett at, 231
Stamping Leather, 212
Starr, Oilando, 190, 197
Stare and Stripes, American flag, 20, 27
State Taxes due from the poor, 211
Statistics of attendance at school, - • 171
Steamboats, Fulton's, 804
Steps, the, at Mt. Carmel, 67, 92
St^el Rifle Barrels, 140— steel bolts cheaper than iron, 157— steel springs
for carriages, 155
Stiles, President Ezra, silk industry. 111 — his orthography of Hamden, 17
Stone from the rocks. 15
Stove bolts, tire bolts, etc., 157
St. John's Church, North Haven, 194
Stratford Circuit, 195
Streets laid out in town near city lino, > 222
Sunday schools of the town, — of Methodist society, - - - - 197
Surveyors of highways for 1780, 208
Suspenders made by Web Company, 147
348 HAMDBN CENTBNART.
T.
Talcolt, Col, chief of ordiittiice, 140
Tallinan. David, formerly mined on Uldge Hill. 71— Tallman's Mine. 03
Tarrant, Rev. Henry, !»»
Taxes, Highways, etc., 1780, 30«
Taxation and land records, E. B. Cooi)er on, 813
Taylor, Rev. Dr. Nathaniel, - Igo
Teachers in the town schools, -------- 170
Terrace plain along Mill liiver, 50
Thoroughbrace springs for carriages, 156
Timlow, Rev. Heman R., 104
Tire Bolto and other bolts, 157
Title, boundaries and U)pography of Hamden, 40
Tobacco culture, ^7
Todd, name of. 16-Asa. 228. 270— Christopher, 270— Ithamar, 62. 68, 170
—Elizabeth, m. Capt. Bolomon Phipps, 270— Lyman, I., 160— Miss
Angeline, 244— Josiah, of North Haven, found a mass of copper, 70
—Mary, m. Nathaniel Tuttle, 278— Family of, Hamden, - - 270
Todd's grist mill. 100, 111
Tomb o1 Eli Whitney, inscription on, - - ----- 281
'l^opography of the Town of Ilamdcn. 67
'I'opograuhical Features, duality of, 60
Town Clerk, Simeon Bristol, 10— town organization in Connecticut, 21—
town government, 21— town pride a laudable feeling, 23, 23, 43—
town accounts, 216— town farm, from Mr. Enos Brooks, 218—
town line, vote to straighten, 1707, 214— town poor, 216— town
meetings, time and place of, 1780, 200— town house for Hamden,
1708, 218. 216— towns adjoining Hamden, 60
Town. Ithiel, truss bridge at Whitney ville, - - - - - - 103
Townshend. Qeorge H., James M. and H. A., 104
Tram and floss silk. 160
Transportation of brick by rail, 108
Transported blocks of trap rock, 04,07
Treat, John L., President New Haven Ice Company, - - - - 104
Trap Dykes in sandstone, 68, 03
Triassic formation, 08
Triumphal Arch, 6
Trumbull, Governor Jonathan, letter from, 801
Truss Bridge at Whitneyville, 108— removal, 103
Turbine water wheels, 141
Turbine water wheels of Web Company, 147
Turnpike of Hartford and Cheshire, 216— Cheshire, . - - - 278
Tuttle, name of, 10— Amasa, 195— Ambrose, 278— Hon. Henry, 270— ad-
dress by, 41— Leveret, Capt. of Hamden Militia, 278, 201— Deacon
Joshua, 228— George F., copies of inscriptions in Hamden Plain
(west) cemetery, 280— George F., copies of inscription by, 230 — Judge
Horace, 278— Mary, 240— William and Elizabeth, 277— Miss Mary,
dau. of Dea. Joshua, 270— Sybil, wife of Amasa, 106— George Fred-
erick, author of the Tuttle Family volume. 277— Mrs. Sophronia, 104
—family of Hamden, 277— farm used for town poor, 210— bridge, 277
Twining, Alexander C, survey on canal railroad, 07— for Water Company, 00
U.
Uniformity System, 200— in manufacturing, 120, 180, 130, 130— originated
in Hamden, 18
Union Flag hoisted in Jan., 1770, -.-...- 26
INDBX. 849
V.
Van Horn, Cornelius, 160
Van Nest, A. R., 160
Vestrymen of Qrace Church, 194
Vibration produced by overflow of dams, 101
Village of Whitneyville, 148
Violin made by Eli Whitney, when a boy, 282
Viticulture, 87
Vocal Music, 6
w.
Wadsworth, Captain Decius, 206
Wagon for freighting from New York to Boston, 44— wagons with cases
of goods in the procession, 6
Walker, Uev. W. B., - - - ----- - 194
Wallingfonl bounds, 56
Wallingford, Church of Holy Trinity, 198,199
Walter, llev. Mr., at Grace Church, 193
Walton, Rev. J. K, 194
Ward, General Andrew, . . 15
Wardens of Grace Church, 194
War of Revolution, Capt. John Gilbert, marching to New Haven, 28—
1812, roll of drafted men. 201— of 1812, 80— of the rebellion. - 202
Warner, Abner, Superintendent Methodist Society Sunday School. 197 —
Hon. Elins, 280— Hon. Hubert B., list of representatives, 828— Fam-
ily n()t(«, 280— Nonuaii, of New Britain, l'ir>
Warnertown, 197
Wiishingtou, General George, 28
Watorbury, inanurncturc of Iwlls, - - • 101
Water Company, at Mt. Carmel, 104— Water Company, New Haven, 99
Waterfalls at Whitneyville, 124 — Water Power from the Farmington Canal,
146— Water Power along Mill River, 111 — Water Wheels and Power
at Whitnev Armory in 1842, 189
Water Works at Whitney ville, 294
Webb, James H., 8 — remarkis by, 48— J. J., tobacco culture, etc.. 87 —
Deacon Darius, - -i 190
Web Company, at Centcrville, 146
Webster, Dtmiel, on United States flag, 84
Weld, Mason C, on the horse hoe, 166
Westfield Circuit, 196
West Indies, old copper from, 161
West River, - - - 68
West Rock range, 67, 68
West Woods, - - 92
West Woods, a locality favorable for peaches, 88
Wheels and Spokes, manufactured by Beers & Fenn, - - - - 108
Wheat, rye and com, 88
Whitcombe, Rev. Ephraim, 194
Whitehead's lot, 92
White Haven Society, 282
Whithig. Capt. Jared, 202— family, 812
Whitlock muskets, 189
800 HAMDBN OBNTBNART.
Whitney Annoiy. 130, 180, 142. 148
Whitney Anns Company, 6, 189
Whitney avenue, 03
Whitney dam of New Haven Water Co.. 100
Whitney, Eli. 8, 18— inventor of tlie cotton gin. 18. 112— proposes to
establish an Armory for the fabrication of lire arms. 120— memoir of.
281— inscription on tombstone, 281
Whitney. Eli (2d), and the New Haven Water Works, 00— takes charge of
ana improves tlie Armury, 800 — organizes the Whitney Arms Com-
pany, 148 — suggests use of East Rock for a public park. - 810
Whitney, Eli Jr., 148— Alderman, New Haven, and Park Commissioner, 311
Whitney Lake, Uie storage reservoir of the New Haven Waterworks, 67, 00
Whitney system in manufacturing, 128, 120, 180
Wliitney system of breech -loading small arms, 148
Whitneyvillo, 03, 124— Location of church near, 188— population of, - 223
Wilcox Wm., 153
Wilkes, Commodore and American flag. 88
Willis Churchill Mfg. Co.. 144— Churdiill, 148
Wilmot Brook, 67, 80
Winston. Elizabeth, 228
Wintergreen Lake, 68— water works, 104
Winthrop. John, iron works, 1666, 100
Witchcraft. Robert Basset's wife tried for, 282
Witte. William, paper boxes, 167,158
Wolcott falls. - - - 104
Wolcott, Oliver, Secretary of Treasury of U. S., letter to, regarding Are
arms, 120, 122
Wood Ashes, use of as a fertilizer, 80
Wood Axles for wagons and carriages, 146
Wood Screws, Mt. Carmel, 158
Wood and Timber, consumption of, 76, 77
Woodbridge, 18— boundary line, 218
Wooding Charles, 106
Woodruff W. W., 168
Woodruff. Miller & Co.. carriage hardware. - . - - 148, 168, 154
Wooster, Fort, earthworks at, 202
Workhouse for the Poor of Town, 217— vote on, 1705, - - - - 218
Worcester County, Massachusetts, 282
Wyles, James, grist mill at Mt. Carmel, - 88
Wyllys, (Jeorge, Secretary, 16
Y.
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